Only One
by Just Page
Summary: Breyton femslash. Two girls, completely different and yet they're best friends. Neither of them knows how the other really feels. It takes a new girl flirting with Peyton to finally make Brooke step up. Fin.
1. Ashes of Another Life

**Disclaimer**: Sadly, I don't own One Tree Hill. If I did, well, we'd have had Brucas, Leyton and maybe Breyton. Oh, and BP wouldn't be fighting. And in the first season we would have kept the Stella storyline. But I don't own it, so they are fighting.

**Pairings**: Peyton/OC and then eventually Peyton/Brooke

**Description**: Low and behold, here comes a new girl. She's got a pretty messed up life, but she takes an interest in Peyton. It takes Peyton finally being herself for Brooke to realize how she really thinks of her Goldilocks.

_Anyway, my story, my rules. We're going back in time to before Peyton was shot. BP will not fight and the girls, Brooke & Haley, won't get pregnant. This is femslash, people, so I won't be having Brucas. As much as I love the idea of Leyton or Brucas, this story is about Brooke and Peyton and their awesomeness together. The chapter titles will be lyrics from songs._

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**Chapter One**: Ashes of Another Life

((From _45 _by Shinedown))

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She huffed irritably, her arms folding neatly across her chest. So, this was where she ended up for her senior year of high school. In a little city on the east coast, miles away from her real life in Texas. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she stood outside the front office.

North Carolina.

Her brushed her dark brown hair from her steely blue eyes. She wasn't happy about this arrangement at all. She'd been shipped from her home in Temple, Texas to Los Angeles, California. From there she was forced to move four times more.

Los Angeles, California to Pinedale, Wyoming to Chicago, Illinois and then to her last place of residence, Boston, Massachusetts. Now she was here in Tree Hill, North Carolina.

This place was smaller than other cities, though it rivaled Pinedale in size. She wasn't sure if Pinedale was bigger or if Tree Hill was. It was most likely that Tree Hill was larger. After all, Pinedale was tiny.

A emo looking boy suddenly opened the door, walking gloomily out of the Principle's office. He was muttering something darkly under his breath as he roughly brushed past her. The teenager's body tensed up at the contact.

"Miss Lander?" The man's voice said from inside the room. She stood still for a few moments before giving in and reluctantly entering. "I'm to understand that you are indeed Melissa Lander and not just some student loitering in the hallway."

"I'm a student and I was loitering. So, yeah, I am Melissa, but I'm also wasting time." She pointed out, her tone irritable and blunt. The teenager really didn't want to be at this school. Sooner or later her dear mother and father would find her, then she would have to pack up and move again.

As it turned out, getting emancipated from parents like that wasn't difficult. However, trying to escape from them was. After being apart from them for three years and counting, she didn't want to have moved all those times for nothing. Her rich uncle helped her when she needed to move, but otherwise she was on her own with no one to catch her when she screwed up.

"Here's your schedule, Miss Lander. I'm sure you'll enjoy here at Tree Hill High." The principle smiled charmingly.

Melissa nodded, a tight smile on her face before she turned and headed out to explore the depths of the school. Once she was down the hall, the smile vanished to be replaced by a look of boredom.

"Go Ravens." She muttered, glancing down at the schedule card in her hands. "Okay, first class…"

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"Okay, so spill!"

"On..."

"New girl, P. Sawyer!" Brooke, ever excitable and adorably nosey, demanded of her best friend. This had to be big news. Tree Hill didn't commonly get new people to their school, especially now in their senior year of high school.

Peyton's eyes scanned the masses of students. It was easy to pick out the newest student. She was very attractive with delicate, light skin and a soft shade of brown hair. Brooke followed her gaze, grinning when she saw the new kid. She was lying on one of the benches, not a food tray in sight. From this distance, Peyton couldn't tell much more about her.

"C'mon, recon." Brooke said a mock-conspiratorial tone as she seized Peyton's hand and dragged her in the girl's general direction. After a few minutes of stopping to talk to random people, like Bevin and Theresa, they finally reached the bench. They stood in silence, glancing at each other. The new girl was just lying there, still and silent, with one arm behind her head while the other lazily brushed over the concrete.

Now that they were closer, Peyton could make out the spattering of light freckles across her cheeks and nose. She had a fleeting thought about how cute they were before hurriedly brushing it off. She had too many thoughts like that concerning Brooke. She didn't need more of them.

"Whatcha want?" She opened one hazel eye, bringing her hand up to guard herself from the sunlight.

"Uhm—" Peyton was cut off by Brooke's quick input of questions. She was taking a slightly new approach to things. Instead of waiting to hear the gossip, she had decided she should go up and just talk to the new kids herself. Well…she was improving.

"So, new girl, who are you? Where'd ya come from?" Brooke asked before Peyton could actually say something.

The girl exhaled, bringing her hands to rest on her stomach. She frowned slightly as she pushed herself into a sitting position, her eyes carefully scrutinizing both Peyton and Brooke. Her gaze lingered on Peyton longer than it did on Brooke.

"Well, apparently I'm 'new girl.'" She said, her eyes still on Peyton. The cheerleader shifted, feeling rather odd at being subjected to such a thorough examination, even if it only was visual. The girl smirked, finally breaking her intense gaze. "Well, Buttercup, if you insist on knowing, it's Melissa. That's all you need to hear for now. So, now you and Bubbles can-"

"Brooke, who's this?" Rachel had arrived, looking beautiful as always. She brushed her red hair back from her face, her eyes trained on the new girl. The young woman, Melissa, grinned at the sight of the cheerleader.

"Well, what do you know? Looks like all three of the Powerpuff Girls are here." Melissa got to her feet, reached down and grabbed her bag from behind the bench. "Now, Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, I might see you around later. I guess it all depends, doesn't it?"

With that said, the new girl vanished into the masses of students wandering around, heading to various classes. Brooke stared after her, looking as though she didn't know whether to be pissed or amused. She looked exasperatedly at Rachel and Peyton.

"Wait, what did you want?" Brooke asked Rachel abruptly. As of late, the pair had been getting along better than usual. Of course, they still were slightly edgy around each other at times. They didn't trust each other enough to truly be friends.

"Want?" Rachel paused, before hurriedly frowning. She didn't feel like saying something just to get in a fight with Brooke. It wasn't worth it. The redhead just shook her head and spoke briefly, "Nothing. I'll see you later."

"Come on, P. Sawyer." Brooke sighed, linking their arms together. Every time Brooke did something innocent like that, Peyton felt her heart flutter and her stomach flip-flop. They were things that Brooke took for granted. After all, they had always done things like looping arms or holding hands, ever since they were little kids.

Of course, as luck would have it, there she was in their next period class. New Girl Melissa sat in the second row from the back, staring out the window. Her pencil rapidly tapped on her notebook. It was a habit seeing as she seemed oblivious to what she was doing. Even when Brooke rolled her eyes and took a seat in the back, Peyton decided that she wanted to satisfy her curiosity. So, the blonde chose to sit right next to the new girl. She dropped her books on the desk. The resulting thud seemed to awaken the musing teenager.

"Oh, hey Bubbles." Melissa said blandly, averting her eyes almost immediately. It seemed that when it came to nicknames, she was like Brooke. She stuck to them. After all, Brooke still called Haley "Tutor Wife" or "Tutor Girl."

"It's Peyton."

"Hmm?"

"My name. It's Peyton. I don't fly around in a little dress trying to save the city of Townsville." She rolled her eyes slightly, watching the other girl's face for changes in expression.

"Peyton…what?

"Sawyer."

After mulling over the name in her mind, she asked another question, "What about Blossom and Buttercup?"

"Rachel and Brooke."

"Uh-huh…." Melissa sat back in her seat, her hazel eyes flickering back to Brooke for a couple of seconds. After her silence, she looked back to Peyton, a smirk curling her lips. "You know what, powderpuff? I think I'll stick with Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup."

Peyton narrowed her eyes, annoyed. Powderpuff? Before she could retort, Melissa cast her an infuriating wink and the teacher started speaking. Peyton flipped open her notebook, slipping a pen from her bag.

From the back of the room, neither of the girls knew that they were being watched. Little miss Buttercup wasn't very happy with the way things were going. The brunette's gaze was fixated on Melissa.

She recognized that behavior. By being annoying and irritating, she was actually flirting with Peyton. It was the way Brooke had sometimes behaved around Lucas. She was subtly, or not so subtly, aggressive. She was asserting herself by saying things how she wanted to instead of using proper names. Peyton was independent, strong, and usually very sure of herself. But, Peyton had no idea that she had just lost her place as the dominant one in Melissa's eyes.

Brooke berated herself for her brewing jealousy. So what if some new girl was hitting on her Goldilocks? It wouldn't matter. Yes, it would turn out about as well as Peyton and Anna did. Peyton was straight after all, wasn't she?

The party girl had always made sure that Peyton knew she was in charge, at least when they weren't fighting. Not that Peyton realized her position in their relationship; she just knew that they were best friends. Brooke was the only one who paid attention to those details.

Brooke just sat there in the back, watching the pair as they argued by way of steady eye contact, glares or even short notes. It was one of the longest hours she had ever experienced. She wanted to get up and force Melissa to quit bugging Peyton. When the bell finally rang, she wasted no time in rising from her desk to hurriedly make her way over to Peyton.

Melissa had gone with a smirk, leaving Peyton seemingly seething in her wake. The blonde glared after her murderously. When Brooke lightly touched her arm, she finally turned around, gathering up her belongings.

"She called me 'powderpuff.'" Peyton grumbled, though she smiled as her best friend nudged her in the ribs.

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The teenager winked as she slowly trailed her fingers down the chest of a boy she had been flirting with. With her orientation, it was no wonder that she quickly became bored. So, after teasing him for a few more seconds, she simply turned and walked away.

It was a very stupid thing for her to do, especially considering the identity of the boy she had been playing with. His name was Anthony Michaels. He was big, strong and very sexually frustrated at that moment. His girlfriend had dumped him because he "had a temper."

Melissa, however, was completely unaware of all of that with his added reputation for being forceful and a player. As she strolled down the halls at a languid pace, her eyes scanned the crowd. At her old school, she had had a girlfriend. At least, until she had been trapped into moving again. Her mother and father were obsessive.

She caught sight of the pair she had met earlier, Peyton and Brooke. Heh, now she called them Bubbles and Buttercup. While Buttercup was beautiful, there didn't seem to be a chance in hell that a girl like her was a lesbian, so she turned her attentions to the second, Bubbles.

Now, there was just something intriguing about Bubbles. Her name, Peyton, was unusual in her opinion, but it suited her nonetheless. There seemed to be so much more to her than what she could just see. Melissa wanted to get to know her.

And then….she felt her back meet the lockers with stinging force. Her hazel orbs widened in surprise as she caught sight of "horny boy" she had been messing around with. He seemed pissed for some reason or other.

"What can I do for you?" The new girl attempted to stay calm, though this had been the last thing she expected to happen.

"I want you to stop fucking teasing me. I know you want me." His voice was low and demanding. One of his large hands was pressed against the locker on one side of her head, keeping her trapped between him and the wall. Melissa drew back, preferring to be closer to the wall.

"Hey, I was just havin' some fun-" Anthony cut her off sharply with a brutal kiss. Of course, this seemed to be normal and not exactly noticeable in the crowded hallways. No one else could tell, from looking, that they weren't a couple. After all, no one had any idea who she was.

That was uncalled for. Melissa used her hands to shove against his chest, causing him to draw back, though it just ticked him off even more.

"Anthony." A big guy with dark hair and eyes pushed Anthony aside, receiving an angry glare for doing so. "Go screw yourself."

Anthony was shorter and lighter than the other guy. He did the only smart thing he was capable of and skulked away, his eyes flitting from Melissa to the big guy. It didn't take long for him to vanish into the masses.

"Are you okay?"

"Just peachy, thanks." Melissa gave a half-hearted smile, "Probably my fault anyway…"

"No way, Anthony is always a dick. You didn't deserve that."

Melissa paused in the middle of brushing her hair back. Her hazel eyes carefully examined the boy. He seemed nice enough. Of course, people always seemed nice at first. That didn't mean they were trustworthy.

"So, yeah, I'm Melissa…kind of new here. That's why…" She trailed off vaguely, tucking her hair neatly behind her ear.

"Why you didn't know about Anthony. I figured as much. Nathan." He introduced himself, smiling.

"Nathan." Melissa repeated musingly. She liked him already just for being a nice guy. He seemed to have the whole Clark Kent and Superman thing going for him. All he needed was a little plaid and he would be all set.

"Nathan, hey!" A brunette happily seemed to just float on over. There was such an air of happiness and joy around her. She had that spring in her step that told everyone that she was so obviously in love. Her hand immediately went to his chest as she turned in front of him, planting a light kiss on his lips. Her eyes shifted to Melissa and she smiled once more. "Who's this?"

"Melissa. Anthony was being a prick." Nathan said. It didn't seem to be a surprise. The girl just sighed and rolled her eyes as though he acted like that all of the time. "This is Haley, she's my wife."

Okay, now that wasn't expected.

"Wife?" Yeah, single to double syllables were her friends. She wasn't much of a conversationalist unless she knew it was going somewhere. The only exception to that was when she was with her friends.

"Brooke and Peyton are waiting." Haley nudged Nathan slightly, looking up at her husband expectantly. "It was nice to meet you, Melissa."

"You too." Melissa nodded slightly, her arms crossing over her chest. This was slightly strange. A couple married in high school with no signs that the wife was pregnant. Now how often did that happen? "Later."

Oh yeah, there was no doubt that there was only one Tree Hill.

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"So, bestest friend, what do you think of this? Pink or red?" She held up the nail polish selection for emphasis. Peyton laughed as she finished painting her own nails. This was one of those girly nights she had with Brooke.

"Go red." The artist pointed her little brush at the bottle.

"Very nice choice, P. Sawyer." Brooke cheerfully started applying the paint to her nails. After a few moments of comfortable silence, she began talking once more, "P. Sawyer, what do you think of new girl?"

New girl could only mean Melissa. Anna had been Neighbor Girl, Haley was Tutor Girl or Tutor Wife, and Peyton had many names. She even gave Lucas the nickname of Broody.

"She seems nice enough, you know? But, she's also-" Peyton cut herself off. She knew what she was about to say might upset Brooke. Melissa was acting exactly how Brooke acted. Brooke was outgoing and flirtatious and more than "happy" with one night stands. But, she also had trouble letting people into her heart. She was scared of getting hurt. Peyton suspected the same about new girl Melissa. "She's just nice."

Brooke shrugged slightly, making sure to not mess up her toenails. Peyton thought new girl was nice. She wasn't quite sure what to make of that new information. All she knew what that she couldn't lose Peyton. Of course, if she admitted how she felt to Peyton, she just might end up getting hurt and rejected.

The cheerleading captain smiled softly as she thought about how she felt. Her stomach had butterflies whenever Peyton started playfully modeling lingerie or just cool clothes for her. Her heart fluttered and soared when she spent those long nights over at Peyton's house. Her entire body hummed pleasantly from the core when they slept in the same bed after talking for hours about thoughtless crushes or painful past mistakes.

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Melissa sighed as she dropped onto her soft, cushiony bed. She was tired. It had been a very long, interesting day. There seemed to be a lot of unique people in Tree Hill, North Carolina.

Her ever faithful cat, a young grey tabby with a blazing white chest, hopped onto her bed alongside her. The teenager sighed, lightly scratching behind the feline's ear as she thought.

"What do you think, girl, should I go for it? I mean, she seems nice, and she's really hot." A wolfish grin spread across her face at the thought of Bubbles. Peyton Sawyer. She'd have to try and get a tour out of the girl. Alone, without Blossom or Buttercup. Her companion simply curled up on one off her pillows. "I guess I can at least try to enjoy it here, right?"

She had so much shit to deal with, no doubt it would only be a matter of time before she had to pack up and leave again. So, what was the point to even trying to build a relationship with anyone? She could, however, have a couple of flings here and there. No harm done, right?


	2. Waste My Time With You

**::REVIEWERS::**

**ashleymac- **You have a youtube account, right? I mean, how many people have the screename ashleymac and support Breyton? Yours or not, I love the video "Stuck".

**Novak Fan**- Thank you. While there are some good Breyton stories out there, I don't think there are nearly enough.

**Wenchy24**- I must be doing something right if you support Melissa and Peyton. That was my goal, at least for now.

**Elizabeth354 & SuperJew277:** Thanks for the comments. Sorry to everyone.

Okay, so, I take forever to update because I put these chapters through at least two revisions, if not more. I come up with ideas and then have to save them on other documents and attempt to make sense of them.

**Chapter Two:** Waste My Time With You

((From _Dirty Little Secret_ by All American Rejects))

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_Beep. Beep. Beep._

How she hated that sound. Her arm flailed around pathetically as she attempted to knock the alarm off of her bedside table. Her little feline companion, Poe, meowed loudly in her ear, attempting to wake her up. Well, good for Poe. It worked.

Melissa groaned before opening one bleary eye to observe her cat. Poe simply sat on her stomach and waited to be fed. She yawned and rolled over, causing the little tabby to jump off and look reproachfully at her. The high school student cursed under her breath before finally giving up on sleep.

"Fine, you win. I'm up." Of course, it was only 6:45 in the morning, but Poe really wasn't interested in how early it was for Melissa to get up.

After sleepily fixing Poe's breakfast and setting it on the floor for her to eat, Melissa ran her fingers through her hair as she stared mildly out of the window. The house her uncle had bought her wasn't terribly big. It didn't need to be, so he had bought one just big enough to be considered comfortable and not cramped. There were two bedrooms, two bathrooms, the kitchen, dining room and living room.

"Day two in Tree Hill, North Carolina." She muttered under her breath. After thinking about it for a moment, she smirked wryly and continued, "We'll see how long it takes before we have to move again."

Poe just gazed up at her momentarily before returning to her food. Melissa yawned, rubbing her eyes. She hated getting up that early in the morning, but since she lived by herself, she had to take all of the responsibilities. She watched her cat eat enthusiastically for a moment and then all amusement left her face as she thought about something else.

In Boston, she had had a very serious relationship with a girl. They had dated for a little over a year with no serious problems. Her parents were unusually accepting of her choice in dates. At one point, Melissa had actually asked her to move in with her. She had had more than enough room. So, her girlfriend had packed up and changed her place of residence.

It had been one of the few times she was truly and completely happy. Her life was going great. She had good grades, a good part-time job, and a wonderful relationship. No more than two weeks later, one of the worst things had happened. Melissa's parents had found her once more.

Not only did they barge into the house unwelcome, they started screaming at Melissa. It hadn't helped that they discovered Melissa sleeping peacefully alongside her partner. Had her girlfriend not been there, it would have been worse…at least physically. She never did find out how they got into the house. All that she knew was that everything she had worked so hard for was falling apart. Within the next few days, she had packed up the entire house and had arranged to move again. Her girlfriend had been devastated.

As a last resort, Melissa had resurrected her icy façade and had broken up with her the day before she moved. With that, she had cut all ties with the first person she had ever fallen in love with. She felt that anger swell up in her chest before she managed to rein it in again.

It took her a few moments to realize Poe had jumped into the chair beside hers. Clearly, she was supposed to eat…something. She had already gone three days without eating breakfast or dinner. It wasn't that she was avoiding meals, she had just simply had lost her appetite.

"Fine. I'll eat. But it's just because of you." She jabbed a finger in Poe's direction.

It was a wonder she managed to get anything done. The girl was a total hazard in the morning.

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"Broo-oooke."

"Shuddup."

"Brooke."

Mumbled cursing was the only response.

"B. Davies. Get your ass out of bed. We're gonna be late!"

"Fine! I'm up." Yeah…right.

It took Peyton actually pulling the covers down to wake her roommate up. Brooke grumbled for a few more minutes, causing Peyton to roll her eyes and go to her last resort. Tickling.

No less than a second later, Brooke squeaked and immediately fled from her bed. She hated it when Peyton tickled her to make her wake up. But, sometimes it was the _only_ thing that could make her get up. Usually they didn't care what time they got to school, as long as they didn't miss anything important.

Go figure, the teachers had decided to schedule three important tests, one of which was in the morning, hence the panic.

It took them twenty more minutes to hurriedly put on make-up and throw clothes together. As usual, Peyton was hot broody girl in her leather jacket and Brooke looked like her normal, fabulous self.

"Alright, alright, let's get outta here!" Peyton grinned as Brooke bounced up next to her, matching her quick pace down the hall and then descending the staircase. The brunette rolled her eyes, jangling her keys in front face.

"I'm driving, crazy girl."

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"Please turn in your tests as you leave."

Peyton rolled her eyes at her teacher's dull drone. The test had been easy enough. It had helped that she studied for it. Brooke, on the other hand, had looked utterly bewildered about the entire thing. And Brooke was actually a lot smarter than how she acted, but she had forgotten to study.

Her eyes flitted over to the other girl who had, annoyingly, held her attention for most of the class. Melissa had been sitting there, looking calm as always, throughout the entire thing. Peyton couldn't figure out if she had flunked or aced it. She swiftly reminded herself that she didn't give a damn either way.

The one thing that snapped Peyton out of her irritable daze was Brooke looping their arms together and starting up with her piteous moans of how much she regretted not studying. Melissa caught her eyes for the most fleeting of seconds before melting away into the throngs of raucous students. Peyton could deal with her later. Right now, she was having her bestest friend Brooke time.

"Peyton? Peyton!"

"Huh?"

"Have you even been listening?" Brooke inquired, her brow furrowing in concern. Usually, Peyton just indulged her and listened to her pitiful complaints when she didn't study. "What's up? You've been miss Occupied Girl lately."

"It's just – what do you think of Melissa?" Peyton asked, her tone level and careful not to give away anything.

"Melissa…You mean New Girl who likes to call us names of the Powerpuff Girls?" Without waiting for Peyton's answer, Brooke continued on. "She seems like – she could be pretty nice. But, as of right now, she just bugs me with the powderpuff thing."

"I –"

"Nice to know I have a fanclub." Peyton started slightly. They were out on the campus, just outside of the gymnasium. Melissa had slithered up on them in her annoying little way. "Hey Bubbles, Buttercup."

"You know what, P. Sawyer?" Brooke innocently slipped away from the pair, her eyes showing her obvious desire to get away from being called 'Buttercup' again. "I gotta go meet Rachel for a major studying thing. Call me later?"

"Yeah, Brooke-"

The brunette grinned and pushed her way into the crowd before vanishing among the throngs of students. Melissa looked quizzically after her, and then, shaking her head, turned her attention back to Peyton.

"Well, I heard you were the girl to see for questions about music…or cheerleading." She smirked a little at the latter of her sentence. Peyton Sawyer, a regular, high school cheerleader. Quite the shocker. "Since I only moved here a little while ago, I need some helping finding places. Care to be my tour guide? I'll buy you ice cream."

"Fine. No need to go around offering girls ice cream. You have no idea what they'll do for that kind of reward." _Besides_, Peyton felt the need to justify it to herself, _it'd be just plain rude to turn her down_.

"You're my new hero, Bubbles." Melissa grinned happily and then brushed her hair back from her face, eyes glittering. "We can start at – twelve tomorrow, at a little place. Karen's Café, I think it's called, right? A guy, Nathan, told me about."

"It's a date." Stupid thing to say. Peyton immediately wished that she could recall the words into her mouth. Melissa laughed a bit, waved and then left the blonde alone with her thoughts.

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AN: Sorry for the short chapter. Nothing really happened, I know, but the next one will be better and I'll try and have it up sooner.


	3. Live Your Life So Guarded

**Chapter Three**

**Live Your Life so Guarded**

From "Tomorrow" by SR-71

**AN:** Happy New Years, guys. Thanks for sticking with me!

Karen's Café at twelve. Well, Peyton was present and accounted for. Now, where was Melissa? Maybe something had come up. She pushed the thought from her mind for the fifth time since she had arrived. Haley and Lucas had made their brief, respective appearances. They had both needed to ask Karen something or other, had offered Peyton their company, and then went on their way when she declined.

She swirled the contents of her mug with a spoon, her apparently blank gaze on the smooth, round tabletop. Maybe Melissa was just being a –

"Bubbles – hey, sorry I'm late."

Ah, there was that annoying nickname.

"Alright, let's get started." Peyton set her spoon on a napkin with a slight, rather dull clatter.

"Don't I get any hot chocolate?" Melissa's face was the picture of mock-innocence. Now, if only she could effectively hold that expression, maybe it would have been convincing. Not to Peyton, but maybe someone else. Maybe. But, the other girl seemed incapable of doing so, a grin tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"No." Peyton said simply, rolling her eyes as she stopped by the front door. She received a grin and laugh at her response, not too terrible.

"Alright, have it your way." Melissa sighed playfully as she followed suit, pushing herself away from the table. "So, where to first, almighty knower-of-all-things?"

"Obviously, we've just left Karen's Café." Peyton pointed out in her best 'tour guide' voice.

"Peyton!" came a light voice from one of the other shops. The blonde turned her head in the direction of the voice. It was coming from the pet store.

"This is Gabby." Peyton said offhandedly to her before smiling and leading Melissa to the shop. It wasn't big by any means, but it was buzzing with sounds. Gabby was one of those rare popular kids who somehow managed to be herself. She was way into her job, though she often said that it was only to get extra money.

"We just got some painted Mantella frogs. Take a look." Of course, the brunette gave them no time to argue, her brown eyes glimmering excitedly. Peyton's gaze soon fell on to a terrarium filled with multi-colored frogs. "They're poisonous. If you get their toxin in your system, you feel really…high and then get extremely sick."

"Gabrielle!"

The girl rolled her eyes at Peyton as she gave a slight wave before departing into back. It was an obvious indication that she wouldn't be returning and that she had to work. Melissa observed the frogs as they sat there on the bottom.

"Those are some kick ass amphibians." She commented blandly, her eyes flickering up to Peyton's face. "You come look at frog's very often?"

"Nah. Gabby just calls me in when she finds something that she thinks is really interesting." Peyton took in the little creatures, trying to find some kind of artistic touch to them. But, she was never one to draw nature for the hell of it.

"The colors are unique." Melissa's breath in her ear sent an involuntary shiver down her spine. Peyton had been so busy contemplating over the damn frogs that she hadn't kept track of Melissa's movements. Peyton hurriedly pulled away, turning to see Melissa's mischievously sparkling eyes. Those freckles she had noticed on her first day were faint, but noticeable. Her eyes, normally a light hazel, seemed to be a shade of green-blue with gold specks. Peyton had noticed that her eyes seemed to change with the light.

"W-we should go…now." Peyton had a little trouble figuring out how to pull herself together after that little shock. The blonde quickly led Melissa from the store, speeding up her pace a bit.

Melissa tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear, watching her tour guide as she calmed down. She hadn't meant to freak Peyton out, though the reaction wasn't entirely negative. The fact that she hadn't whirled around and yelled at her told Melissa something about Peyton. She was either bi…or gay. Either way, she hadn't completely shot down Melissa's slight come on.

Peyton, on the other hand, was royally panicking. She would have felt guilty, but then she reminded herself that she had nothing to feel sorry about in the first place. It wasn't like Peyton and Brooke were dating. Now, if her best friend gave her a hint that she was interested, then maybe –

"Peyton. Records. Music." Single words. Melissa was thinking rapidly and thoroughly about how much she could possibly accomplish in this one day. How much could she learn about Peyton Sawyer?

---

"NOFX."

"Tough choice, Bubbles. I guess...I'd go with _The Malachi Crunch_."

"Interesting choice." Melissa and Peyton had finally gotten around to getting what she had offered. Ice cream. They had been gotten sidetracked as they talked and now their ice cream was melting in the bowls. "Choosing a song about death, torture and getting arrested."

"What can I say, I have a unique taste." Melissa shrugged, lightly swirling her spoon around the slushy ice cream. "SR-71. You have to have listened to SR-71." Her hazel orbs focused on Peyton's lighter eyes.

"Maybe…a couple of times." Peyton said admittedly.

"And—"

"_Goodbye_."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, 'oh really'." The artist rolled her eyes at her companion, who was grinning wolfishly. They had been talking at this table for a couple of hours by that time. Their topic was music, something that they both profoundly enjoyed and something that they both felt a need for. As though living life without lyrical angst of the artists would be time wasted. So many words strung together to form a complete mental picture. "My turn again. The Descendants."

"Good choice. I'm going with _Cool To Be You_." Melissa voiced her personal favorite song after hearing the name of the artist. This was their game. Sometimes they would continue on, other times they would stop and talk about the song or the artist in question.

"'Counting scars in the land of smiling knives.'" Peyton quoted the lyrics, unable to tear her gaze from Melissa.

"Good memory, Bubbles. Mine again. How about Shinedown?" She crossed her arms over the table in front of her, awaiting an answer of some sort.

"'Shows no emotion to a willing sacrifice.'" Peyton used the lyrics instead of the title, waiting to see just how good Melissa was.

"_Heroes_. 'You can put a man on trial, but you can't make the guilty pay.'" She leaned in, smirking slightly.

"So, I was wrong about you." Peyton confessed, albeit a little grudgingly. Otherwise, it was all in good nature. "Never thought you'd be a music person." They both fell silent, somehow just enjoying the company of the other. "Athlete?"

"_Forest Fire._ 'I'll be standing on the corner waiting for the sky to open up.'" Melissa smiled. It was genuine as well. Usually she had just been being playful. She knew that Peyton was one of a kind. She was – for lack of a les corny way to put it – special. "Tegan & Sara?"

"Oh….god." Peyton swirled her melted ice cream as she thought about it. "There are so many… _Proud_, _Don't Confess_, _Dancing in the Dark_."

"To name a few, right?" Melissa grinned, laughing at Peyton's indecision. The blonde rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I'm trying. There are just too many. Tegan & Sara _cannot_ be judged on just a single song. Each one has its own meaning. You just can't exclude any of them." Music was Peyton's passion along with art. She felt strongly about some artists, and Tegan & Sara happened to be one of the artists.

"You have no argument from me, Bubbles." Melissa waved her hand, making it clear that it was Peyton's turn to ask again. The cheerleader thought it over for a couple of moments, trying to decide which artist to bring up next.

"Nelly Furtado, James Blunt…and Fall Out Boy."

"_Afraid,_ _You're Beautiful_, and...you can't honestly be asking me to choose just one Fall Out Boy song. Not possible. Azure Ray and…dare I say it, Frou Frou." Melissa almost laughed at the latter artist. Such deception within the name.

"Never heard it. Frou Frou?" Peyton couldn't repress a laugh. Melissa waved her spoon at her, trying to look serious and threatening.

"Hey, don't be fooled by the name. They've got this one song that I like. Azure Ray has one too. You need to listen to this music. You have been deprived, Bubbles." She spoke with all sternness. Yeah, like that would work. "I'm going to make you a CD and you will listen to this music, understand?"

"Aye aye, captain." It took her a moment to realize that the sunlight was slipping away, sinking in the distance. "Oh, Brooke's gonna be waiting for me at home."

Melissa's smile gave way to a confused expression. "You live with her?" Huh, maybe she didn't have a chance with Peyton after all. Had Brooke already 'laid claim' to her? If she did – well, she was one lucky girl.

"Oh, yeah, we're roommates." Peyton revealed as she stood up. Melissa followed her example without saying much. At least Peyton hadn't said anything to the effect of 'we're lovers'. That would have made it absolutely clear that Peyton was unavailable. But, fortunately for her, it didn't seem to be the case.

"I'm really sorry, I've got to go. I didn't realize the time." The broody blonde said apologetically as she walked backwards to the door.

"Wait –" Peyton paused, her hand on the door.

"Thank you, Peyton, really. I know I bugged you, but you gave me this tour anyway. I appreciate it." It was the first time that Melissa had actually addressed her by her actual name and not with _Bubbles._"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh, no problem. I'll see you." With that said, Peyton scooted out the door, leaving Melissa alone with the melted ice cream. She sighed, brushing her dark hair back with one hand. What was she doing? It was supposed to be nothing more than a fling. Peyton was obviously available, so Melissa could make her move. It couldn't be anything else. She convinced herself that it was just lust that boiled the blood in her veins and caused the tightening off her chest.

Nothing more.

---

I have a cast list of sorts, so, here it is:

**Peyton Sawyer **Hilarie Burton

**Rachel Gatina **Danneel Harris

**Brooke Davis **Sophia Bush

**Melissa Lander** Kristin Kreuk

Haley James Scott Bethany Joie Galeotti

Lucas Scott CMM

Nathan Scott James Lafferty

**Supporting**

Gabrielle Amber Tamblyn

Bevin Maskey Bevin Prince

Skills Antwon Tanner


	4. We Paint the Walls

**Chapter Four:** We Paint the Walls

("Blood and Bourbon" by SR-71)

**AN**: As usual, thank you so much for the reviews and your patience. Sorry it's been so long, school's kicking my ass and I finally had to start kicking back.

**X x X x**

Rachel Gattina: absolutely drop-dead gorgeous with flaming hair and fiery eyes to match. Her temperament ranged from calm to irrational. She could be kind or she could be cruel. She was cunning, manipulative and had the same amount of issues as every other girl at Tree Hill High.

At that moment, said cheerleader was awaiting the arrival of a certain brunette at the table. Bevin was talking rapidly and cheerfully to Kenzie and Tamara, both of who smiled, listened and added their own little tidbits at an appropriate time. She ran a hand through her dark red locks of hair, her eyes flitting across the yard. It had been maybe two months since "new girl" arrived.

So far, she hadn't even shown an interest in cheerleading, unlike the last new arrival, which had been her. Maybe Brooke wouldn't clash with her as much as she did Rachel since she wasn't a threat to her squad and boyfriend. Speaking of that certain captain of the Raven cheerleaders, where had she gone this time? Mayhap she was talking to some randomly found cute guy in the hallway. Maybe she was with –

"Hey, Peyton!" Bevin waved, grinning happily as she broke off mid-conversation. Rachel's eyes shifted to the broody blonde. Not exactly who she was looking for, but close enough. She was rather surprised not to see Melissa anywhere close by. As of late, they had been talking and hanging out quite a bit. She would see missy Brooke cast indiscernible looks at them, even if they lasted only for the briefest of moments. A smile crept onto her lips as Brooke came into their midst. The squad had to discuss cheer business.

Rachel Gattina wanted – something. She wasn't quite positive on what it was at that moment, but whatever it was that kept nagging at her mind, she would get it. Getting whatever she wanted was a special talent of hers. It worked for her most of the time. As she listened to Brooke speak to the squad as a whole, her eyes flitted across to the next building. There she was.

Melissa was standing with a couple of other girls and a guy, smiling as they talked to her. She fit in at Tree Hill High and Rachel knew how much that fact bugged Brooke. She didn't know why it bothered her, just that it did. The sly femme fatale was set on figuring out why. Rachel had her suspicions but nothing solid yet. Her penetrating brown-hazel orbs observed Peyton's...friend.

She had dark, soft brown hair, faint freckles that seemed to vanish and reappear and hazel eyes that were either blue or green depending on the light. Her skin was flawless except for the magical freckles with the disappearing act. She was on good terms with Haley and Nathan from what she could tell and also with Lucas. Peyton was a given and Melissa seemed to be friendly with a lot of people, though not really with Brooke. Of course, that was Brooke's choice.

"Rachel…Rachel…Rachel!" The redhead jerked back to reality, her eyes spinning around to focus on Brooke, who blew a tendril of hair from her face, dark eyes rolling irritably.

"Were you even listening?"

"Of course, _captain_." Rachel smiled charmingly, flipping her hair.

**X x X x**

Peyton yawned, muttering under her breath as she glared at the windows. Two months thus far of being called Bubbles. Two months during which she had found herself spending quite a lot of time with Melissa Lander. She rolled over in her bed – and landed with a thud on the floor.

Usually she was more graceful than that when waking up in the morning. Once again, she was alone. Her room was once more her fortress of solitude. At least for the moment it was. Brooke had hopped out of bed some hours earlier, insomnia and all. It was unusual for her friend to wake up like that. The brunette was one of those people who could sleep like a rock. Lately she seemed to be thinking to herself a lot more and was acting a little out of the norm.

"P. Sawyer." Her dark head poked into the room, looking amused at the sight of her on the floor. Why hadn't she gotten back to her feet again? Oh, right, she wanted to sleep some more. She mumbled and pulled her comforter onto the floor with her, effectively blocking out the sleepy light that peeked in through the blinds. Brooke hopped through the doorway, squatting down next to the lump that was her best friend.

"Peyton—"

"Whaatt? What can you possibly want this early in the morning?" Peyton muttered, curling up tighter in her blankets. Since she was in her cozy cocoon, she didn't see Brooke glance at the clock and shrug. Six in the morning. Not too bad, right?

"Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer – wake up!" Brooke nudged the bundle with her finger, eliciting a sigh and then Peyton's eyes peered out of her blankets, not exactly thrilled. Brooke smiled sheepishly, pushing back more of the blankets.

"Well – it's not me." Brooke began, glancing back at the door. "Some wack-job called for you." Now, that caught Peyton's attention. She ran her fingers through her hair, pushing herself into a sitting position. "I was just downstairs…and the phone rang. So, don't blame me for interrupting your beauty sleep. It's Melissa."

"What the hell—?" Peyton groaned and pulled herself to her feet. Brooke gesticulated at the hall, indicating the location of the phone. Peyton swatted at her hand before sighing and stepping out of the room. Brooke remained stationary for a few moments, listening to Peyton's curious, but amused tone as she spoke. The brunette rolled her eyes and pulled open the closet doors, examining the lists there.

She had made them herself. Underneath her name were lifeguards, half of the Ravens basketball team (Fede, Daniel, Narrayah, Zach and Jabbak), Mouth, Cooper, and Larry (hot dad fantasy…even though he told her to find a new one). The name Dave Growl had been painted over and replaced by Anna. Her eyes shifted and focused on the opposite door.

Peyton held claim to all of the Foofighters (a small note confirmed that Dave Growl was included), the remaining half of the Ravens team (Kempus, Mike, Dustin and Brandon), Nathan (with an asterisk by his name because of Haley), Jake, Skills, Fergie, Junk (she still hadn't fixed his name even though she had listed him as Garbage), and Dan Scott. Brooke stepped closer to the door, tapping a slender finger on the wood. She mused over the idea of updating the list to include others now. For Peyton – as annoying as she found it and as clueless as her best friend was – she might as well add Melissa to the list.

And…

Well, she was pending judgment. Brooke felt another jolt rush through her system at the sound of Peyton's soft laughter in the hallway. Well then… She picked a pencil from Peyton's desk and crouched down, sketching in a new name under Peyton's list first. The light silver words stared up at her, not noticeable enough to be caught by a casual glance. Melissa Lander.

She moved over to her own list and knelt down. After casting a look back at the doorway, she etched in the name of the one to be added to her own list. Her handwriting flowed lightly and neatly underneath Anna's name. Truthfully, she wasn't sure that she could trust this other girl – let alone date her. But, hell, if Melissa was going to make a move on Peyton…and Peyton didn't protest…

Brooke stood up, replacing the pencil on her friend's desk next to the computer. With that, she rolled onto the bed and pulled a pillow over her head, grumbling darkly into its cushiony softness. She'd just have to wait for Peyton to stop talking to her little friend and go back to sleep. After running around the house restlessly and walking up and down the block three times, she was ready for sleep once more.

It took about ten more minutes until Brooke finally heard the click that signaled that Peyton had placed the phone in its cradle once again. There was a moment of silence before Peyton, smiling lightly, reentered the room and fell on the bed next to her friend. They shared a glance before Peyton pulled her comforter up to her.

"Are we gonna talk?" Brooke broke the silence, turning onto her side to face the blonde artist. What was Melissa doing calling Peyton that early in the morning?

"Oh—" Peyton stretched her arms above her head, intertwining her fingers. "She just wanted to know if I could show her around Tric and maybe talk to Karen about giving her a job. She says she needs one…but she wouldn't say why."

"That's all you talked about?" Brooke asked skeptically, her eyes lowering towards the doors. Peyton hadn't yet noticed the small additions at the bottom of each list. It wasn't likely that she would anytime soon. Brooke closed her eyes for a moment, rolling onto her back.

"What's on your mind, B. Davis?"

Brooke Davis had decided something while Peyton was on the phone. It was something she knew subconsciously, and now she was actively thinking about it. There was a time to tell the truth. It was when you said exactly what was on your mind – no sugarcoating it or anything. And then, there was the time when you smiled and said, '_Hey, it's all okay.'_

She propped herself up on one elbow and just breathed for a few seconds. The lips slipped into that reassuring smile she spoke.

"Nothing. It's all okay."

**X x X x**

"_Le Morte D'Arthur._ Can anyone give me a overview of what occurs in this novel?" Hands raised, some tentatively and others not so much, into the air. The woman observed the willing participants before finally choosing one. She gestured to Julia Volk, a dark-haired, dark-eyed girl most commonly known around the school for her singing talent.

"It's about love and deceit and betrayal. It has the rise and the eventual fall of King Arthur, Guinevere and Sir Lancelot." Julia voiced confidently. Their teacher nodded and continued.

"Now, give me your thoughts on Guinevere and Lancelot; how they managed their adulterous relationship."

"Lies." Eyes flitted over to the speaker. "Like Julia said, deceit aided them the most with their relationship. When Arthur asked Guinevere to attend a joust with him, she said she was sick. Just so they wouldn't be talked about, she told Lancelot to go. When he left and ended up wearing a token of another woman, she was livid. What they had – their love and their lust…was the ultimate betrayal. Lancelot betrayed his most trustworthy, closest friend for a lover that wasn't his in the first place."

The bell rang, interrupting the silence. The usual scuffle of chairs against the floor and books being closed filled the room with a low rumble of voices. The teacher turned and started writing on the board, preparing for the next class.

Brooke stood by Peyton's desk, waiting loyally for her friend. The blonde smiled as she packed up and rose to join the brunette cheerleading captain. It had been a rather odd class – especially with that rather…painfully insightful explanation. Rachel remained by the door for a minute, as though debating something internally. In the end, she ended up slipping into the crowds of students streaming down the hallway. Melissa brushed her dark hair from her face, holding her books against her stomach as she shifted around a desk corner.

Each thought along the same general topic track. Love, lies, betrayal.

**X x X x**

**AN:** **To those who review, if you don't mind, I'd like to get your thoughts on why _you_ think I chose the title "We Paint the Walls" and what you think it means. I just want to get whatever readers I have thinking about all of the lines and in between.**


	5. Strike Us Like Matches

**AN**: As per usual, my faithful readers, you're all brilliant. Halfpipechick, trust me, you didn't sound like an idiot. You all had really good thoughts about why I chose that particular title. Ashley, once again, you provided a great review; Miss Waffles, you provided an excellent new addition to the reviewing crowd. I enjoyed reading all of your thoughts on the title. So, if you want to provide your insights on other chapter titles in your reviews, I'd be more than delighted to read them. Oh, and to those who actually bother to view my homepage (myspace page), you're welcome to add me as a friend…since, well, you kinda need to so you can even see the profile.

** X x X x **

**Chapter Five:** Strike Us Like Matches

From "Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends" by Fall Out Boy

** X x X x **

It was the time of year for pompoms and make-up and obsessive practicing and perfecting of routines. It would only be a couple of weeks until the annual cheerleading tournament. No time to waste with letting things fall apart. Brooke had shifted into cheer-tator mode.

The brilliant little schemer's mind had kicked into overdrive after being threatened with the idea of her team being dissolved. Not now. Not after all they had worked for. Brooke paced in front of her team, letting the silence press in on them. None of them were exactly thrilled about the way she was acting. After all – Bevin and Kenzie had only gotten in a small fight. It was just bad luck that Whitey saw it.

Lucky for Brooke, Lucas had been putting up posters earlier. Something to do with football – or was it basketball? Ah, it didn't matter. It was brilliant. Hopefully it would keep her girls out of trouble. Hell, maybe they would even keep them from slitting each other's throats, her eyes flitted from Rachel to Peyton.

"Are you just going to glare at us or do you actually have something to say?" Rachel's snippy comment interrupted the silence.

"Well, Rachel," Brooke's eyes narrowed and fixated on her. "I do have something to say." She turned to her squad. "We are going to solve all of our boy troubles right now."

"And how would we do that?" Again, Rachel's voice was annoyed and skeptical.

"I'll tell you," Brooke paused for dramatic effect, "We're going to have a fantasy boy draft." Silence greeted her grand plan. Within the hour she had her group gathered in the locker room. "So, as a final rule, you can trade at any point in the season if you are not happy with your draft picks. Now, count off from one."

Peyton grimaced and waved her little compact. "One." Could she have sounded less enthused about the whole idea? Brooke grinned, happily followed suit.

"Right behind ya with two. Who has three?"

"Oh, I do!" Bevin chirped, raising her hand slightly.

"Four." Haley gave a half-smile, though she was more than a little exasperated. She and Nathan had worked out most of their problems. There wasn't even a question about whom she was going to choose.

"Five." Rachel spoke in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "And, I guess we get to decide what happens with our boys?"

"Of course." The response was followed by a suggestive smirk. Peyton, however, gave her best fake smile and still managed to be the first to leave. A fantasy boy draft? Where did Brooke get these ideas? In any way she could think about it, she couldn't help but feel that this little plot of hers might have some unforeseen aftershocks. After all, she was Brooke Davis. Despite how much she grew as a person, she still had a bit of trouble handling and predicting the consequences to her actions.

Peyton ran her fingers through her hair as she dodged a couple of skater punks and wannabe cheerleaders. Her green eyes searched the crowds for a friendly face. She didn't know why – but she just didn't want to think about the draft. She hadn't seen Melissa all day. It was a strange occurrence now that she thought about it. Usually the brunette took her schoolwork seriously enough to make decent grades. Missing two classes just wasn't like her.

The day progressed rather uneventfully. Brooke happily caught up to her some few minutes after she finally gave up looking for Melissa and started on about something or other concerning her brilliance with settling the guy trouble and keeping her cheerleaders in check. Peyton interjected her own tidbits and assurances when needed, but otherwise zoned out a bit.

She was more than a bit curious as to the location of her friend. She never noticed just how much she had become accustomed to interacting with Melissa throughout the day until she wasn't there. Usually she would get into some type of discussion about a new song that one of them had heard on the radio or a CD they had gotten from a friend. Melissa would surrender her full attention to Peyton and everything she said.

Wow…

She blinked, finally noticing something that pulled at her nerves a little. Just how much did she notice about Melissa? Peyton stopped in her tracks to think. Her eyes trailed along the landscape. Brooke was at home by that time. Her feet began carrying her forward. She didn't know where – but sometimes it was good to just wander.

A zephyr of thick, warm air brushed her face and molded around her body. It was one of those annoying days that was of above-average temperature even when it was supposed to be colder. Her mind skipped from one thing to another. She had become so used to everything about Melissa. The way the sun made her skin glow. How her hair flipped over her shoulder and fluttered around her face in the wind. How her eyes sparkled every time they talked about music.

It wasn't just that – smaller things too. Little habits. Whenever Melissa was tired or bored her handwriting would start becoming more scratchy and uneven. Her eyes would gleam just a little less than they usually did. When irritated with something during class, she would start playing with her hair on her left side, never her right.

A familiar swish of silken dark hair in the corner of her eye drew her attention elsewhere. Peyton's brow furrowed as she observed the object of her musings standing outside of a foster home. She hesitated and then made her way across the street. What was she doing at this place? Something made her stop as she neared the steps leading up to the front doors.

A luminous smile lit up Melissa's face. A woman had come out holding the hand of a small girl. The child had soft dark brown hair and bright, happy hazel eyes. Melissa knelt down, holding her arms open to the girl. She walked away from her initial chaperone and into Melissa's waiting grasp. The high school student literally glowed as she lifted the girl into her arms, talking rapidly and saying something to elicit a laugh.

Peyton automatically started backtracking her steps, trying not to be noticed. She felt strange, like she had intruded on something extremely personal. Who had the little kid been? Many thoughts raced around in her already busy brain. A fleeting memory of Jake and little Jenny fought its way up, only to be swept away by the current of noise that clouded her mind.

As such, she failed to notice the second individual who had seen the same thing she had.

** X x X x **

"One, two. Three, four. Five, six. Seven, eight." Brooke's voice echoed throughout the gymnasium as she paced in front of her squad. As usual, they were practicing and perfecting until their feet bled.

Actually, Bevin had to sit out for a few minutes to wrap her foot in bandages. The normally happy cheerleader winced as a certain brunette helped her out. Bevin was actually pretty tough, even if no one else noticed. Not a single complaint out of her yet.

Melissa smiled sympathetically as she finished with her foot. Brooke clapped her hands, albeit a little unenthusiastically, and granted her group of girls a generous five minute break. Most of her squad immediately went to check on Bevin.

"Are you sure you should be cheering? I don't know how it happened, but that's a pretty nasty cut." Melissa voiced her thoughts hesitantly. Cheerville. Unknown territory for her – at least to be right in the center of it all. She caught Peyton's eye for a moment before turning her attention back to Bevin. The girl was sweet and almost abnormally happy. Maybe it just came with the cheering territory.

She had hardly been planning to show up to watch cheerleading practice – but she hadn't seen Rachel or Brooke or any of them for long periods of time. Hell, she hated to admit it, but she missed them. Lately she'd been too busy with more personal business. While not seeing the rest of the little squad was one thing, not seeing a certain broody blonde was another.

Peyton, at that moment, was standing back a little with Brooke, discussing something or other. Peyton was officially the unofficial co-captain after all. More than likely they were talking about formation or pompoms or…something. She really knew nothing about cheerleading.

Next thing she knew, Bevin was hugging her tightly before springing to her feet (hiding a slight flinch as she did) and heading to the middle of the court. A couple of the other girls gave her an uncertain look before following suit. Rachel remained behind the longest, lingering next to Melissa. Her hazel eyes were sparkling with glee about something, though she wore her usual smirk on her lips.

The cunning vixen flipped her red hair over her shoulder, sitting next to the brunette. Though her gaze was seemingly focused on the posse of pompom waving gymnasts before them, she wasn't really thinking about cheerleading. Brushing a crimson tendril from her face, she leaned in and said a single word in a tone barely above a murmur. It caught Melissa's full attention.

"Blackmail's an ugly word." Rachel casually announced to her companion as she got to her feet once more and prepared to rejoin her group.

"What do you want that I could offer?" Melissa asked skeptically. She wouldn't take Rachel lightly. Without any affirmative idea of how much she knew and what she could do with the information, it would be stupid to be too rash.

"Nothing right now. Don't get me wrong, I'll think of something. No need to worry." With those final words hanging in the air, Rachel turned and strode languidly to where her squad-mates waited for her. This was a situation that could either be passive or volatile. She hadn't yet made up her mind. Right now she would just go along with whatever it was Rachel asked for. The eighteen-year-old ran her hands through her dark hair, her green and brown orbs following the movement of the current routine.

Cursing the cheerleader mentally, Melissa muttered wearily as she thought over the whole situation in her mind. She didn't like the fact that Rachel had somehow found out that name. Maybe she saw it in some file or heard it somewhere. Hell, maybe she didn't even know the significance of it. Then again, maybe she did. Melissa couldn't decide which of the two options would be the lesser evil.

In any case, it gave her a whole other problem to worry about. For now she just needed to focus. The simple thing that was supposed to be luring Peyton into a fling wasn't working too well for her. They talked a lot about music and such, but no official date-date yet. Melissa wanted that to change. Even as she pulled up the idea in her mind, she felt her stomach clench out of guilt. Peyton…

She was a good person. She had a good personality, mind and heart. Not all that common, especially among the high school royalty. Peyton Sawyer was definitely part of that crowd whether she liked it or not. Something told her it was the latter rather than the former. Her chest constricted uncomfortably. Peyton really deserved to have someone who actually wanted her chasing her – not something pursuing her just for a one-night fling.

Then again, no matter how much she attempted to convince herself that a single night with her was all she wanted, everything else told her otherwise. Peyton had changed from the object of her attraction to that of her affection and lust. She wanted to kick herself for what she was undoubtedly going to get herself into.

And then Brooke was bracingly announcing to her squad that practice was over for the night and she wanted them to rest up for the next day. From what she could tell, they would be holding their little fantasy boy draft the following evening. It didn't have anything to do with Melissa. After all, there was a certain little girl that she would be going to see for the duration of their draft making.

Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer.

Melissa sighed, rose to her feet. It had been a very long day. She had to make a couple of phone calls and she needed to increase her income. Tric was nice and all, but not exactly the best job economically. A pair of hazel eyes bore into her own, the characteristic smirk curling the lips of the other. She pulled her eyes away and just waited for Peyton.

Peyton smiled as she approached the brunette. The reluctant teen queen was happy she had decided to stick around and hadn't just upped and left. She liked her a lot. Melissa was charming in her own way and had a flawless face adorned with bright, gleaming eyes. She couldn't help it; she just kind of smiled every time she was around her.

"You're coming to our competition, right?" She asked innocently as the pair made their way over to the exit doors. Melissa rolled her eyes and pretended to contemplate over her answer as though it were a serious question she had been asked. Drama queen. For a moment, she remembered the look on her face when she had picked up that little girl. Such a gorgeous kid. Her eyes had been open, welcome windows into her innocent young heart. It was a heart not yet tainted by life's harsh realities and murderous brutalities. Peyton recalled that dark hair so much like Melissa's and felt that guilty jerk in her gut.

"Of course, I'll go. Not as though I have a choice in the matter, right Bubbles?" Melissa gave a playful half-smile, holding the door open for Peyton briefly. The cheerleader was pulled from her reverie. The cool night air swirled around them lazily. The trees offered no resistance and danced along under the moonlight.

"That's right." Peyton ignored the Powerpuff Girls remark. Melissa felt the need to use that name at least once every twenty-four hours. "I've been meaning to ask you this, but what things to you do? I mean, sports and hobby wise."

"Gymnastics and soccer. And – obviously – you do cheerleading with your ultra cool pompoms." The brunette earned herself a suspicious look for that remark. She raised her hands into the air innocently, "Hey, I was so not picking on the pompoms if that what you were thinking."

"Of course not." Peyton rolled her eyes and smacked Melissa on the head with her sparkly little pompoms. She batted with a sheepish smile at the blonde. Her _assailant_ paused by her car. "So…Good night. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Actually, powderpuff." Melissa caught her hand and spun her around lightly. It definitely caught her off guard. Peyton blinked and her brow knitted together in confusion. She felt her heart flutter nervously in her chest. She and Melissa had been dancing around each other precariously since she arrived. Now what they were avoiding exactly, she couldn't say.

"I was wondering if you'd let me take you to lunch on Saturday." The offer was delivered with a light smirk and gentle squeeze of the hand. Peyton's face flushed a bit. This was not a giant revelation. The whole girls thing with her – not a big "ohmigod" surprise. And yet…

"Sure." The words slipped from her mouth unbidden, though not entirely unwelcome. She reprimanded herself quickly for being so stunned.

"Good, Bubbles. I'll call you." She wore that pretty little smile on face and lightly brushed her thumb across Peyton's knuckles. With that she was off again. Peyton remained stationary with a hand on her car door for a moment. She just needed to think and clear her mind. Peyton inhaled slowly, pulling on the handle at the same time.

She had a date. Not just any date, no. She had a date with none other than Melissa Lander. Should she tell Brooke about it? Did she really need to know? Maybe it would just be weird if they started talking about it. Peyton shook it off as she jerked the door shut behind her. The car growled to life, though it hardly registered in her mind. She had a date. It wasn't with Lucas…or Nathan…or even Jake.

Not a male at all, in fact. Melissa. A girl. Her mind settled around the idea. She felt light. That was an understatement because, oddly, she felt lighter than air. She suppressed her smile and eased the car onto the road. Melissa was gorgeous to say the least. Peyton couldn't deny that she was excited about the date. Seemed like such an odd word to use, even in her mind.

The car pulled out of the lot and the taillights faded from view of the school. The night air was mostly silent save for the chirrups of the crickets and the various other nocturnal creatures that only now decided to show their faces. Brooke remained just inside her car, fingers tapping lightly on the steering wheel. She had seen the whole exchange between Melissa and Peyton. Both seemed rather pleased with the outcome of the conversation.

_The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed._

_Love is everything it's cracked up to be…it really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for. _When Carl Jung and Erica Jong said those things respectively, who were they talking about? Was it the random couple thrown together by conditions beyond their control? Were they standing back and watching someone they loved? Was the person with someone else? Or maybe they wrote and spoke from personal experience.

Brooke sat back, stoic. As usual, she knew what she wanted and did absolutely nothing about it. Melissa hadn't been afraid to make her move and had jumped at the chance to ask out her Goldilocks. That window had been slim to begin with. But, ever since Melissa arrived, it had been rapidly shrinking into nonexistent. And so it had closed with the conversation she had observed. Her eyes closed for a moment, calming herself down. Peyton would be expecting her to arrive and for nothing to be different.

There was a glimpse of red hair in the side view mirror and then it was gone. Brooke blinked and rubbed her temples irritably. Trick of the light. It had to be. She yawned and started the car. It was only moments before she was on the road and retracing the steps of a supposedly lost love. She could only assume it was love and not just some continuous lust that would flutter away.

** X x X x **

"Well, welcome to Charlotte. Now, first things first, girls." Rachel paced around in front of the cheerleading squad. Missy Brooke wouldn't be arriving until later because of some fashion thing or other. But, it wouldn't be too long.

Just a few hours.

Melissa waited in the background, watching the new substitute cheer-tator as she gave instructions out to her squad. Well, it was hers until Brooke arrived. Peyton looked rather annoyed by the entire thing. She tapped her finger on her leg as she waited for the redhead's rant to be over. The boys had already gone up to their rooms.

After their date some couple of weeks previously, they'd been extremely close. Not exactly dating, but not exactly at the just friends stage of the mess. It was confusing, but they'd had no trouble yet. An isolated disagreement over something tiny was the only bump in an otherwise smooth path. It took almost twenty minutes, but Peyton joined her. She wore a half exasperated and half amused look on her face.

Melissa grinned and nudged her with her elbow playfully. She caught Rachel's eyes and the smile vanished briefly. The redhead brushed her hair back and smirked with a peculiar look in her eye as she watched the pair of them. It bothered her a great deal. Rachel Gattina was brewing something…and couldn't bode well for those involved. Whether by pure luck, or by a couple of kindly inputs on Karen's part, Melissa and Peyton had ended up in rooms…across from each other. Unfortunately for them, since Melissa wasn't part of the cheerleading squad, she couldn't be assigned a room. So, she was there purely for _moral_ support. Either way, there was no way that they could avoid having fun on this trip.

"So, Bubbles what do you have planned today?"

"Relax time. Brooke always let's do what we want as long as we don't get too hung over to perform in the tournament." Peyton informed her companion. Melissa arched an eyebrow at what she had just heard. How…interesting. At least Brooke wasn't in cheerleading dictator mode 24/7. "But…while Rachel's in charge, who knows what she's decided. Though, she would like the free time just as much as everyone else would."

Peyton stood by the dresser, looking thoughtfully into the mirror. The door was wide open since their entry only seconds before. Hazel orbs held a mischievous gaze behind her. Melissa lightly pressed a palm against the door, pushing so that it closed silently. And then she was standing behind Peyton again, a hand on her bicep.

"Let's just have some fun, alright?" She murmured, her breath against her neck. Peyton sighed and turned around. On her part, she could interpret those words several different ways. Each time she ran it through her mind, it seemed more intimate than the last idea she had. The cheerleader felt a chill run down her spin as their eyes met. It was brief.

The next second, Melissa had gone to a bag and retrieved a bottle. Vodka swished around innocently within its container. This was going to be a bad idea, yet Peyton could find no way to honestly protest against such an offering of alcohol. She finally just relented her brainstorming and took her place on the edge of the bed. The brunette handed her the glass and was interrupted by a knock on the door.

She groaned, stood and answered the awaiting visitor. Rachel Gattina. Just the luck she needed. Cold flames licked at her heart and nerves as she waited for the reason for her intrusion. The redhead still had her luggage with her. She entered with that body language that clearly said that she was the one in charge. Unfortunately, Melissa was in no place to protest.

"Change of plans. Bevin told Theresa to switch rooms with her so she could have a room to herself. So Theresa swapped with Bevin to room with Tamara who had dropped Kenzie who ended up rooming with Haley who said that I was now rooming with Peyton here. Any questions?" She turned on her heel after dropping the bag on the bed nearest the window. Melissa began to say something, but fell silent at a flashing glare from Rachel.

"Peyton, I'll…see you later, okay?" She smiled bracingly before taking her leave. Pausing in the hallway with a hand on the wall, she quickly scanned over the situation. The last thing she needed was for Rachel to tell Peyton about her little situation. She just couldn't tell if it was a bluff or if she actually knew all of the details. Either way, she didn't need her going around and advertising it. Melissa ran a hand through her hair, attempting to settle on something to do with herself. For starters, it would probably be wise to unpack.

Within the confines of the room, Peyton surveyed her new companion. She had a feeling that something had happened between Melissa and Rachel, but she had no idea what it was. She sighed and grimaced a bit after downing the vodka in her glass. She could only assume that Rachel was up to something with the way she was acting. The redhead was more collected and retained a level of civility when she was planning something. Nevertheless, Peyton gestured to the bottle of alcohol in an open invitation to the other. She couldn't even begin to guess what she was in for.

** X x X x **

Bright light…

Bright light was bad. Very, very bad. There was an early morning bustle of people in the hallway. The migraine thudded dully against her skull. It felt as though her head was going to split in half. This is always what came from drinking so much alcohol. Excessive vodka intake.

A hand brushed her dark hair from where it lay on her face, obscuring her vision effectively. It took her a full minute to realize that it hadn't been her just being reflexive. It wasn't her hand. It was that of another. Now that she thought about it, the bed was just a bit too…occupied.

Yet, she could hardly remember anything that had happened the night before. There was a warm body lying next to her, an arm wrapped around her waist languidly. Fingers lightly traced up her stomach, trailing over every muscle in her abdomen.

"Morning, babe." Brooke yawned and froze, her breath catching in her chest as she realized where she was. This wasn't right. The person next to her wasn't blonde. It wasn't Peyton, obviously. This was strange. It took her more than a few minutes to fully wrap her head around the situation she had gotten herself into.

"Oh…damn." A pair of hazel eyes stared right back into her stunned gaze. Well, neither of them had been expecting this. Brooke had arrived in Charlotte sometime around ten-thirty the previous night. At that time Haley directed her to another room. She had paused by the room that Rachel and Peyton were rooming in and then continued to her designated room.

"This is so wrong. What the hell happened last night?" Her companion groaned and rolled off the bed. She emerged from the side of the bed…only to reveal that she was completely naked. Brooke gaped and hugged the comforter to her chest, realizing that she was also wearing her birthday suit. The other brunette ducked into the bathroom and them reappeared with a towel wrapped securely around her body.

"Did we…?" Two pairs of confused eyes gazed into each other, both searching for answers or recollection. Brooke closed her eyes and buried her head in a pillow. This was a nightmare…just not in her head. It was actually happening. She let off a round of expletives in her mind. This could not turn out well.

"If we're lucky…we just got really drunk, took our clothes off and then passed out." The voice pulled her from her cogitations. Brooke covered her face with her hands, mumbling pathetically to herself. This was just great. All she could hope for was that no one would come in and see them in this condition. "I'm just gonna get dressed."

She could deal with this mess later. Hopefully one of them would remember something more about what had happened and she could only pray that it wasn't what she suspected. The usually gregarious young woman exhaled shakily, pulling a pillow over her head. Absolutely nothing beneficial could come of this, even if they hadn't done anything on an intimate level.

But, for now she had a cheerleading competition to win.

** X x X x **

"'_So, you wanna know what things were like 50 years ago. Well, the truth is, there's not a single person in this place worth remembering in 50 years. So don't believe any of the other crap you're hearing, everyone at Tree Hill High is a liar…_'" Those words were more than enough to cause a complete and total halt in the hallways. Students were gathered anywhere there was a television.

Melissa frowned, looking perplexed as she observed the activity on the screen. Her eyes landed on Peyton and Brooke for a moment before going back to the boy talking. He was angry, obviously, and his tone was as sincere as it was callous. It was obvious that there was something very wrong about this situation. The reaction it was eliciting from every occupant of the school was a clear giveaway.

There were a couple of angry murmurs behind her as the boy took a shot at a guy named Hodney, someone that Melissa had exchanged words with. Apparently the wrestler was big on slipping Rohypnol into drinks to get what he wanted. Then there was another spread of whispers upon the mention of a certain 4.0 student named Kaite Radisson. Melissa's lips parted slightly at the cruelty with which he said the next words of 'Gang Bang Abortion'.

"'…_stoners are medicated, the honor students are afraid, and the jocks, well…they're jocks, man. They'll peak at 17, and their cheerleader girlfriends will be fat and lonely by 21. Losers. Everyone here is a loser_…'"

More hostile words spoken in low tones around her. Who the hell was this guy anyway? She had thought that she knew most of the people at the school. Yet, she had absolutely no clue who this surly, dark haired, dark eyed person was glaring at her from the screen above.

"'…_everyday I have to come to this school, is one less day I have to come back…_'" Next up on the bizarre television showing was a dark haired girl. Her skin was tan and held that natural shading that gave away the fact that she was of Latin descent. Melissa cocked her head to the side a bit. She announced herself as Anna Tagarro. The girl was actually very pretty and definitely held her attention. It only helped that she openly proclaimed herself as a lesbian.

Then came Nathan Scott. Her hazel irises searched the sea of people, eventually finding the subject of the current showing. His dark-haired head was pointed in the direction of himself. His wife, one Haley James Scott, stood at the opposite end of the hall. Peyton and Brooke flanked either side of her.

"'_People think that if you love somebody hard enough then everything is just gonna work out. People are wrong. 50 years from now, I hope you got what you wanted Haley, but getting married to you was the worst mistake of my life. Here's a little advice, never get married. In the end, you're only be miserable._'" She definitely knew that she was missing something at the dark tone in his voice and the cold ice in his eyes. As far as she knew, Haley and Nathan were really happy together. Apparently, they hadn't always been like that.

And then…

There was Brooke Davis. After the first initial minutes, the cheerleader began doing something rather unorthodox at best. Slowly, but steadily, she began the removal of her clothes. At least the ones that covered her torso. That was pretty much the cue for Brooke to panic and begin pushing through the throngs of people. Most of the guys were catcalling and wolf-whistling.

As she fought to retrieve a chair to smash the television with, the power died. There was brief disappointment that was followed immediately by hoots and hollers as the lights flashed to life again. Brooke moaned and leaned into Peyton for reassurance and comfort. No doubt something would follow these events. Positive or negative, one could only venture a guess. Melissa felt someone push past her and caught sight of the boy that started off the presentation.

Who was he? Why didn't she have a clue about his identity? Melissa nudged her way through the crowd, feeling only relief at hearing the principal announce that school would be letting out early. What good could possibly come of these rather brutal and personal revelations in front of the entire school?

** X x X x **

**AN: **I'm really sorry it took so long. Also, if it seems rushed and a little lower quality than usual, I apologize for that. I've been having so much trouble with this chapter because I have so much to cover. But, read and review, as always.


	6. Remember Me as a Time of Day

**Initial AN: **Again, thank you all for the reviews. I'm messing around with centering and such because the last chapter bugged me with the way it was set up. Anyway, enjoy.

**Added AN as of the eighth of April, 2007: **After going over the details and spending hours planning out future chapter(s) (actually a possible sequel), I hath completed it! I'm soo very sorry about how long it took.

** X x X x **

**Chapter Six: **Remember Me As a Time of Day

_From "Remember Me As A Time of Day" by Explosions in the Sky_

** X x X x **

Every single name.

He knew each name of every person before him. He knew the poetry fanatics, the cheerleaders, the jocks, the honor students, the skateboarders, the clique drifters. Everyone. The bike rack stood at his left, various colors gleaming in the sunlight and their locks warding off anyone who might want to try their hand at thievery. His peers passed right by him, sparing only a glance or two. Good to know that his social status hadn't been affected by the recent revelations made via the school televisions. At least now he was acknowledged as the guy from the time capsule.

Jocks garbed in blue letter jackets passed through his field of vision. As they made their way on with their lives, he focused on the self-proclaimed Goths. The Cheerleaders sat around a table, taking up all available seating. He could only assume that Bevin Mirskey had said something funny from the reactions she was getting. The fiery redhead, Rachel Gattina, clapped her hands together as she laughed, tendrils of hair sweeping in front of her face.

He had to wonder just how many of them knew who he was. How many knew his birthday? His ambitions? His past? How many knew his first name? That ever present resentment boiled sullenly in his stomach. He felt a presence on either side of him, though no words were passed between them. Three people. Doing something was so different from just planning or thinking about it. Hell…action was always louder than words.

Three individuals were going to rock their school…their city. Maybe even their state. Jimmy dropped his cigarette and crushed it under the toe of his tennis shoe. His companions left his side, heading off to their lockers. Once it happened, they would follow his lead. The bell interrupted the laughter and chatter of the courtyard, calling the students inside for their education.

"Here we go."

Every day he came to this place was one less he had to come back. A book slid across the floor in front of him, slamming closed when it hit the opposite wall. Predictability is the downfall of many a man. Rusty smirked and tried on one of the hats Jimmy stored in his locker. His buddies laughed as it was thrown carelessly on the ground. Of the days he could have done this…he had chosen the worst of them all. The taller boy's shoulder dipped down and shoved hard into his own.

"Nice locker, loser."

That was all the prompting he needed. Jimmy dropped his bag to the tiled floor, turning to face Rusty's back. If only he knew before…well, now he would. His hand emerged from his sweatshirt pocket, the shiny black steel innocently winking in the light. Everyone in this damned hellhole would learn something. No one could escape the aftershocks that would undoubtedly follow.

Brooke's eyes slid onto the hallway scene and it took less than a second to register that something was very wrong. She was staring down the barrel of a handgun. Her hand grasped Peyton's and quickly pulled downward. The shot rang out and then there was chaos. She felt Peyton's fingers slip from her own, leaving that tremendous feeling of fear in the wake of her absence. Brooke's shouts to her best friend were lost in the panic of the masses as they dragged her along with them to safety.

Another shot echoed throughout the hallways as they were emptied of their occupants. It hailed from a different part of the building. It was soon followed by a third, final echo of a gun from yet another part of the school close to the last one. In the tutor center, students had gathered and locked themselves in a room as the repeated procedure had trained them to do. Haley locked the door and extinguished the lights with the flick of a switch.

The group within the "safe haven" was odd and mismatched. Abby Brown: a quiet and somewhat shy girl with an otherwise good personality. Marcus: a more than slightly hotheaded boy with a talent for sarcastic remarks and blunt truths. Skills: the ever loveable and talented River Court basketball player with an admirable heart. The ever-wily Rachel Gatina who often misplaced faiths and possessed a cold cynicism to protect herself. Haley James Scott: wife, rock star, overall loving and kind person. Then…Jimmy Edwards: the boy who thought, for whatever reason, that holding that gun in his grasp would somehow take away the pain and make everyone understand.

It was a shame that he hadn't decided on his partners more carefully before putting the plan into motion. One Emma Stevens, for instance. Sure, she had a walkie-talkie to keep in touch with him, but by no means was she going to pass up the opportunity to make everyone pay for her misery. In a designated classroom, the girl now surveyed her captives with disturbing calm. She had once been right up there with high school royalty. Of course, then Lucas had to come along and _change_ people. Peyton was different, Brooke was different, even Nathan was different. Somehow she had been cast from her pedestal alongside her so-called friends. The barrel of her weapon was pointed at one of the cheerleaders.

Oh, yes, how the tides had turned. No longer was she shunned from her old cliques. She was in control and had no desire to relinquish such power. Bevin Mirskey was normally peppy, assumedly slow and kind-hearted. Not a single person gave her the credit she actually deserved. Emma knew the kind of person Bevin really was. She was not just another blond airhead. The girl was strong, even if it wasn't physically, and she wasn't lacking in intelligence or a backbone when it came right down to it. Emma's dark blue eyes flickered to the brunette sitting right next to Bevin, their hands clasped together in a comforting gesture.

The name was Melissa Lander. She had arrived months ago, yet had risen in popularity since she stepped foot in the school. This really peeved Emma. She had hovered in the background, watching and remembering. Okay, so Melissa possessed the type of flawless skin that just glowed. Her skin wasn't too tanned, but time in the sun had definitely darkened it from its originally lighter hue. Her hair was long, silky and a soft brown. Her eyes were usually very expressive and gave away what she felt even without her needing to speak. Emma moved the gun directly between Melissa's eyes and hesitated before moving onto the third.

Kenzie Keaton. Blond and beautiful as expected. Cheerleader and definitely on the teen royalty list. Actually, she was the baby of the cheerleaders, what with being at least full three months younger than everyone else. Kenzie was actually pretty subdued for a pompom-waving girl. Her eyes were chocolate brown and just as expressive as Melissa's. Emma could tell that she was scared. Who wouldn't be? The captor actually grinned, her lips curling upwards to reveal her teeth. She laughed and waved the firearm at all three of them. Jimmy never knew that she had no intention of letting every captive go. Sure, she wasn't looking for a murdering spree. It wasn't that she craved the blood spill of many. A single casualty would be enough to make her statement.

Just one. That didn't mean that she wouldn't enjoy reimbursing a couple of the top dogs and bitches for whatever pain they had caused, inadvertently or otherwise. After being so suddenly thrown out and alienated, her mother had taken her to a therapist because she was acting oddly. She snorted to herself as she remembered what the fool had said. Anger management, controlling and sociopath tendencies. What was wrong with liking to be in control of situations? It made her feel so much better and it just seemed right when she was the captain of the ship.

She glanced over to the pile of three cell phones now sitting on the desk in the front of the room. Melissa's eyes kept flying around the room, never lingering on one thing for too long. It was as though she was looking for something that she could use offensively against Emma. Foolish girl. The teenager backed to the door, kicked it open and pulled a red Sharpie out of her pocket. On the wall next to the doorframe she wrote the number three so that it was clearly visible.

"Write your names on the wall behind you. Big letters. Don't want anyone to miss it. This is going to be a historical day…and souvenirs are always so much fun." Emma's broad smile never waved as the permanent marker rolled next to Kenzie's feet. The young cheerleader hesitated before shakily obeying the command. Blonde hair hid her face partially as she began writing the letters of her name. Emma cocked her head to the side as she heard the murmur of a voice.

"What was that?" She asked in that fictitiously sweet tone of hers. The barrel shifted to Melissa's chest as she waited for her response. Oh, the power was just so intoxicating. It was like a drug flooding her veins and seizing control.

"You." Melissa began, squeezing Bevin's hand tighter as her eyes leveled with the weapon gazing so stonily at her heart. "You're insane. Why else would you be doing all of this?"

"Oh, please." The almost maniacal smile slid off of her face, replaced by one of pure anger. "Little miss perfect. You know that you came here and almost right away you were accepted by the populars. I see how much time you spend with the cheerleaders and the jocks. You talk to everyone and you're popular because of that. I hated you from the very moment I saw you."

"Why?" Melissa pushed herself onto her knees, freezing when the gun shook in Emma's grasp.

"You took away everything that I had! Everything! I used to be friends with Brooke and Peyton. I was the one going to the parties with them. **I** was popular and then, just like that, it was like I never existed." She raised her voice an octave or two, clearly making her anger known throughout the room. Kenzie pressed the sharpie into Melissa's hand, but the latter immediately handed it over to Bevin.

"I get it, your friends weren't really you friends. But that doesn't give you the right to do all of this!" Melissa's voice wavered, but remained at the same general volume as Bevin moved to write her name underneath Kenzie's rather shaky handwriting. Emma snorted, but could find nothing to say in response.

"That reminds me," The smile crept onto her features again, her eyes turning to the door. "I wonder if Peyton got out? It would be such fun if she could join our party, don't you think? Even if she isn't here, I'm sure that we can find some other people to invite. It's no fun with just four people. That's no way to have celebrations."

Finally it came Melissa's turn to write her name…and she did so reluctantly. She just couldn't understand why this girl wanted them to write on the walls. What would she gain from it? Well, unless she killed one of them…then she would have the morbid satisfaction of crossing off the name of her victim. She would just have to make sure that they didn't push her far enough to do it.

"Once little miss perfect is done, I want you all to get up and stand in the hallway. Make a move to run and I'll shoot you in the leg. After that comes the arm and then the head, understand, airheads?" She asked harshly, eyes flickering among them wildly. Kenzie and Bevin nodded in confirmation as Melissa finished off her surname. The three young women made sure that their hands were touching at all times for reassurance. Melissa stood first, followed by Bevin and then Kenzie. Physical contact was the easiest way to reassure one another, each squeezing the hand or arm of another.

And so the captor herded them from the room, the metal silently promising to fulfill whatever duty it's master had in store. Emma had a very specific reason for having them do what they had. After being cast down from the ranks of the royal she was tired of being ignored, frustrated by the lack of attention she was so accustomed to receiving. No, those names would be remembered as something that _she _ordered them to do. When one failed to arrive safely in the arms of a loved one, she would cross the name off dutifully and that would hold another piece of significance for her. It made it clear that she was in control. She was the ruler of the world rapidly pulling together in her mind.

The footsteps resounded ominously around the hallway, each wall sending the sound reverberating in another direction. The situation was remaining as consistently non-lethal as it could in their unusual circumstance. If they could keep it that way, maybe everyone could escape without being harmed. They just needed to keep calm. But…of course, that was harder for those in other parts of the school than for those in the custody of the shooters.

For instance, a certain blonde drawing uneven breaths from her place at the bottom of the staircase. She couldn't walk without collapsing in agony after only a few seconds. Tears blurred her surroundings, the bookshelves swimming before her. Her heart was beating harshly against her ribs, threatening to burst forth. One moment she had been with Brooke, the next she had excruciating pain ricocheting through her very bones.

She couldn't think straight and the blood blooming into a magnificent maroon flower on the carpet wasn't helping her condition. She couldn't just remain there, she was in plain sight and far too easy to find. If they were looking for captives, she was a perfect candidate. Peyton shakily grabbed the railing above her hand, slipping a bit due to the fact that her hand was slicked with crimson liquid.

Peyton began the excruciating journey to cover. Ever second stretched into what seemed like minutes with little progress being made. In her haze, she panicked over the thought of Brooke. What if she had been hurt? What about Haley? Was she okay or had she become a casualty? And Melissa… Had she escaped or had she slipped to the nearest lockdown room? A slight gasp forced its way from her throat as she pulled herself along the first row of bookshelves. Another inquiry floated to the surface. How many shooters were present in school?

She had only seen Jimmy Edwards, but recalled hearing two other successive shots from other areas. How strange… Her eyelids slipped lower and lower as she continued her jerky, scattered thought process. Jimmy… He hadn't seemed evil. Not even angry. He wasn't anything like she would have expected a shooter to be like. He was just alone. Alone and scared.

Those were not the ideal emotions of someone in possession of a firearm. Her pupils suddenly dilated at the loss of light as every bulb and lamp faded to blackness. The library wasn't the only location without a light source, otherwise there would be little beams peeking in from the hallways. Somehow the lack of light was comforting. It made her feel a bit more shielded than she had been. Peyton Sawyer sighed and finally allowed her eyelids to sink all of the way over her eyes.

** X x X x **

"_Hey."_

The voice was warm and familiar. She felt comforted by the sudden presence. Of course, there was the fact that she couldn't figure out if it was just in her mind. Nevertheless, she didn't feel like she would be able to pull herself together even if it was her imagination.

"_Hey back at you." A small laugh as the eyes glittered in the waning sunlight. Somehow, they had turned a simple lunch date into a dinner. It was a gorgeous and clear night with a slightly chilly breeze that kept picking up and fading away unexpectedly. Her date wore a short jean skirt and a loose red shirt that dipped slightly at the shoulder. That dark brown hair was done in a clip. Her face held subtle green eye shadow and black eyeliner. _

She almost smiled at the recollection. Hell, if it was a hallucination type situation, at least it was of a happy time. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she had first seen Melissa on that bench. She was so confident and collected, even as the new girl on the block. And the way she had looked at her… It still managed to send chills down her spine.

_Peyton wore the black leather jacket she was so fond of, something that was courtesy of her late birthmother, Ellie. Underneath the outermost layer was a black T-shirt with the name of a band (Modest Mouse) featured in bold lettering. Of course, she had donned her usual dark jeans. _

_The dock was absolutely gorgeous with lights dancing on the surface merrily. The stars glowed so far above their heads, looking down on the world. Melissa suddenly slipped her fingers into Peyton's, stopping her progress and turning her around lightly. Her free hand lightly skimmed over her arm, eyes carefully examining her expression._

"_What's on your mind, Pom-Pom?" Peyton gave a slight laugh at the newest term of endearment Melissa had come up with. But, she looked a little awkward about the open affection in plain view of any bystanders. As though sensing her hesitance, Melissa nodded a bit and pulled her to a more enclosed area. "Now, tell me what's wrong, Peyton."_

"_It's not that I haven't had a good time, I have really." The blonde began, looking down at their entwined hands. Her green eyes seemed to glow in the rising moonlight, which was a bit of a distraction for her date. "I just feel a bit weird about the whole PDAing in public. Holding hands…. I mean…no one knows about us. Not even Brooke. They might guess, but they have no solid basis for whatever they say."_

"_Ah…right." Melissa smiled sadly, dropping her hand and allowing her arms to fall to her side. It seemed truly difficult for her. "Peyton, they're going to find out eventually, even if you don't want them to. But… I won't keep doing this type of thing in plain sight if that's what you really want."_

"_It is, at least for now. I'm sorry, Melissa." _

She kicked herself mentally, remembering the expression on the brunette's face during that conversation. It was not a happy one, but she wasn't angry either. Melissa was sad about it more than anything and she almost seemed physically pained about the whole idea of keeping it a secret. They'd have to carry on and be satisfied with clandestine dates. She had, oddly enough, felt as though she was cheating on Brooke with Melissa, which was a giant contributor to the secrecy.

"_You know you can trust me, right?" Their voices were low, the room darkened to near blackness. It had been an odd night for Peyton, but certainly not disappointing or a waste of time. Instead of getting drunk and making out as she would have with any old guy or even just kissing Lucas as she would have a year ago, she had found herself at Melissa's home. _

"_I know…"_

_She had been so very hesitant about the entire thing. Peyton was very careful and particular about what people she trusted, at least she attempted to be. The resulting relationships that grew from rash judgments and unproven loyalties could be catastrophic. The brooding artist looked down at Melissa's hands as she gently drummed on her stomach, that light of pure adoration in her eyes._

"_I'm sorry."_

"_About what, Bubbles?" Melissa looked confused; her brow knitting together even as she continued the slow beat on her girlfriend's flat tummy. They were just lying on her bed in shorts and t-shirts, completely comfortable with how they were. Peyton couldn't help but smile as a lock of dark hair drifted in front of Melissa's eyes, obscuring her vision. She automatically lifted her hand and tucked the renegade tendrils behind her partner's ear. _

"_About everything. I mean, here you are…and you're so patient and good to me and I won't even let people see us holding hands in public. And I know you want to be open about it." Peyton slipped her hand into Melissa's, squeezing softly. "And, well, I'm sorry about that. You deserve much better than me."_

"_No, I really couldn't." Melissa smiled in a reassuring sort of way, her thumb lightly stroking Peyton's fist. "I've told you, I'm willing to wait for as long as you need me too. There's no rush, Peyton."_

_Peyton contemplated for a moment, calculating something in her mind rapidly. She was debating with herself. Even though she knew there was absolutely no pressure or rush, she felt like she should give some kind of allowance to Melissa. The girl was such a good person. And Peyton was still convinced that she could have found someone far more open about the relationship._

_Melissa gave her a curious half-grin as she sat up and leaned forward to kiss the blonde on the forehead, the nose and then the lips. Peyton felt warmth flood her body from her stomach. The brunette winked at her before settling back down into her little tapping rhythm, now on her ribs._

"Peyton?"

_Her world began clouding over again, the memories being whisked away to the recesses of her mind. The last thing she saw was Melissa's animatedly going on about something, her lips moving rapidly as her hands made small gestures, her eyes glittering. _

"Peyton!"

There was the sound of panicked voices and then a few angry, harsh words silenced the worry of the others. The sound of footsteps and then furious grappling between the owner of a familiar voice and that of a stranger. There was a loud and sickening crack, followed by a thud and a gasp.

"Now shut the hell up. We'll just have to tell Jimmy that we're bringing an extra body to the room. She doesn't look good." The voice was sing-song, almost joyful at the announcement.

Peyton was so tired. She didn't want to open her eyes…but she needed to. That piece of glass in her leg wasn't doing her any good. Was it glass? It was all that seemed to make sense. Injuries like that didn't just magically appear from nowhere. And it wasn't as though she had been shot. Even as she thought about it, the scenario seemed completely ludicrous in her mind. Girls like her didn't get shot. It was a TV drama or anything. It was so surreal to even think about the possibility. And yet, even with that delirious rambling in her mind, she couldn't help but muse over the meeting of her leg and a bullet. What if she had been shot?

"…Blood made it too easy." The vindictive tone made it clear that it was not any source of help. "Otherwise we never would have found her, but she left us a clear trail…who cares how she got hurt? We're bringing her too…No, Jimmy, we're already screwed. WE shot up a _school_! Shut up and quit being a coward. We'll see you in a few minutes… I just need to figure out how the hell to get her to the classroom." Peyton's vision focused itself with difficulty, but she saw a pale hand snap a cell phone closed. An unfriendly face turned towards her, features twisted into a mask of hatred. But, she recognized her…

Emma? Emma Stevens?

Her eyes shifted to where her gun was pointing. Kenzie and Bevin knelt by a motionless lump on the ground. Dark hair spilled over the head of the body and obscured her face from view. Peyton's heart dropped to her stomach, stopped beating and turned her blood icy all at once. Her mind struggled to figure out what was going on. That couldn't be Melissa.

"Oh, she's not dead… I think. Be kind of funny if she was." Emma gazed at the darkly clad figure on the floor. There wasn't even the slightest hint of remorse. More amusement and thoughtfulness. There was something shiny and red on the butt of the fun. "Just hit her with that…shouldn't be too much damage."

"You two, help little miss Sawyer to her feet." The teenager gestured towards them with the barrel of her weapon. Bevin and Kenzie hesitated, but did as they were instructed and looking very nervous and frightened. She then turned and gazed expectantly at the top of the staircase, waiting. Of course, she never drew the gun from their direction, but her attention seemed elsewhere.

A figure shadowed the double doors at the entrance to the library. A nervous young man of eighteen entered, his blue eyes darting nervously around at everyone. Peyton recognized him as well. He was loner. Throughout the school he was just violent and angry. He was one of the unfortunate souls that seemed to sulk through life without any friends… and it was heartbreaking for someone to live like that. Her hazy mind shifted in and out of focus before she locked onto a name. Joseph Willoughby.

"Go pick her up so we can hurry on and meet Jimmy." Emma commanded imperiously, her eyes lingering on Melissa for less than a second. Joseph offered no complaint. He stooped down, switching the safety on his handgun and slipping it into his belt. When he righted again, he carried Peyton's girlfriend in his arms.

The progress up each step was slow and painful even with Kenzie and Bevin there to help her. Emma tapped her foot impatiently, getting more and more agitated with every passing moment. Her lackey waited for them by the doors, one big hand clasped around Melissa's forearm tightly. When her squad-mates finally managed to steady her on the landing, their captor was marching them down the hallway without any allowances on Peyton's behalf. The fact that she was injured and possibly bleeding to death didn't seem to faze her in the slightest.

"In." She growled after a few minutes after rapping on the door to the tutor center. A very edgy Jimmy Edwards pulled it open, glancing around at his own group of hostages. One had to wonder how three misfit students had managed to accumulate that number of students by themselves. The door slammed closed once more and was locked securely. Abby Brown had been the only one released.

"Lookie what we found." Bevin and Kenzie quickly assisted Peyton to a space against the wall, the same spot previously occupied by the diabetic Abby. Haley slipped closer to her friend, trying to find someway to help. Nathan stood and, eyeing the gun toting shooters warily, took Melissa's prone form from Joseph. He set the brunette down on the floor closest to Rachel. The redhead knelt down to hold her head in her lap.

"Jimmy…" Mouth was aghast, his face ashen. "How can you let them do this?"

"Shut up, Mouth!" Jimmy snarled, waving his deadly piece of metal around. "I-"

"She's bleeding, Jim. Peyton could be dying. She needs to get to a hospital. And Melissa…" Mouth gestured helplessly; his eyes gleaming with unshed tears. How had it come to this? How could a person he once called a friend cause so much pain and suffering?

"This ain't right." Skills muttered, his eyes on Bevin. Marcus huffed angrily, fuming in silence as he shot daggers at the trio front and center of the room. Rachel kept her eyes on Melissa, carefully tracing a dark purple splotch that was making its appearance on her cheek. Peyton closed her eyes, stifling a sob when Haley tore a washcloth in half. Even though she knew it was of the most importance to stop the bleeding, it didn't stop the pain when her friend tied it around the wound. It was lucky the tutor center was equipped for minor messes.

"No one's going anywhere." Emma said in a tone that hovered around being cheerful. Joseph was silent, offering no opinion or protest. Jimmy looked uncertain at best, like he hadn't actually expected to hurt anyone. It didn't seem like it was going along with any type of plan. He had pair of injured girls on his hands. And it didn't look too bright for Peyton Sawyer.

"She needs to see a doctor. She'll die." Mouth said imploringly, his eyes trying to find some semblance of compassion in Jimmy.

"No." It was Emma again. "They only know about one of us and that's because you let _Mrs._ Scott have her phone and call the police. If we let her go, she'll turn us all in. I'm not going to jail."

"They both need medical help, thanks to _you_." The voice was full of anger and venom. Rachel looked up from where she sat with Melissa. Her eyes lingered for a moment on Peyton, her expression unreadable. "Little miss lunatic gave Melissa a concussion. And one of you _shot_ Peyton in the leg."

"Do you really want to go to prison for murder, Jimmy? Do any of you want that to happen?" Haley raised the question, her eyes flickering over each face. She held Peyton's hand, trying to give her some form of comfort.

"In that case…" Emma pulled her glock off of the teacher's desk and pointed it at Peyton's forehead. "I can just finish her off now. I mean, kill two birds with one stone, right? She's put out of her misery and I can truthfully say it wasn't an accidental death. Would you prefer that?"

"Bakoff..." Rachel ceased her smoothing of Melissa's dark hair. Emma's eyes suddenly flashed and the gun-wielder stepped across the taped line along the floor and pointed the gun directly at Melissa's chest. Rachel's skin turned pale, her heart rate increasing dramatically at the situation she and Melissa were now in. The latter was quickly regaining her verbal ability through the haze of her mind. Sure, resounding and persistent headache. And, okay, she wasn't entirely sure that there wasn't more damage done…but Peyton was really hurt and that crazy girl was threatening her. "Once your done waving that around, and after I vomit a few times, then we can brawl it out without the shiny lethal weapons. That alright with you, psychobitch?"

It seemed to enrage Emma even more that Melissa was trying to tell her what to do, her expression becoming murderous. A smile sprang onto her features and she held the gun out to Joseph behind her, withdrawing her hand when he took it silently.

"Stupid to talk to a shooter like that." Emma was acting strangely pleasant again, her tone light and nonchalant. "Get up."

"What?" Rachel was stunned and still frightened, her hands moving to either side of Melissa's body to hold her arms tightly. She was trying to make sure she didn't do anything idiotic. "She's concussed, you can't-"

"I can do whatever the hell I want. I'm running this show. Not you, not Jimmy. Me. Now, get up!" Her voice rose violently even though her facial features were still arranged in a terrifyingly calm manner. Rachel held fast onto Melissa's arms, not willingly to let her go be hardheaded and irrational. She glanced helplessly over at Haley and Nathan, trying to signal someone for assistance.

"Chill. Why you want her up anyway?" Skills came to the rescue. Marcus just remained stationary in the corner farthest from the door. His eyes were trying to bore a hole in Emma's skull, something she was obviously ignoring. Kenzie and Bevin were just trying to help Haley stop Peyton's bleeding.

"You'll find out once she's gets off her ass."

And so, since she knew that her redheaded friend wouldn't let her go willingly, she tricked her with a simple action. Melissa stilled, waited for Rachel to loosen her grip when she though that she had given up and then forced herself free. It took quite a bit of effort on her part with the added factors of headache and nausea. She pulled herself to her feet before Rachel could protest and faced Emma, looking down slightly. She was about two inches taller than her.

"Well, little Mellie doesn't need Rachel to take care of her." Emma cooed tauntingly, giving her a slow and deliberate once over. Melissa's fingers curled into a fist at the way she used that annoying nickname. The next tone she used held that disturbing bit of childish innocence along with a big . "Now, what were you saying about fighting it out? I'm interested, Mellie. And Joseph has my gun, so no danger of that. So, in the immortal words of those damned peppy cheerleaders…Bring it."

No one except for the quickly fading Peyton knew about Melissa's hotheadedness. It wasn't something she usually displayed, but it certainly was obvious when she did decide to pull it out. At that moment, she was just as stupid as Marcus had been in his attempted attack. The clenched fist flew forward. Unfortunately, her agility really hadn't returned when she stood up. In fact, it wasn't helping her at all. Emma was faster than she and made sure to take advantage of that fact.

Her hand pulled something else from her pocket and a flash of metal was all there was until Melissa instinctively recoiled. The brunette lifted her arm diagonally in front of her face, palm facing outward from her body. The next strike left her as the second girl in need of serious medical attention. Emma's little hidden blade had sliced a jagged gash from the elbow downward, within two inches of her palm.

Rachel immediately grabbed her uninjured arm and pulled her back down, panicking. The assailant seemed wholeheartedly pleased with herself as she pocketed the bloody knife. Melissa was shaking, looking stunned. Haley quickly scrambled for another cloth, her eyes filling with tears. The young wife was absolutely petrified and she was worried about the lives of her friends. Mouth finally showed signs of life by moving to try and offer some kind of help with Melissa and Peyton.

"You're gonna kill her." Rachel spoke up from where she had resumed tending to her squadmate's girlfriend. Nathan had torn a strip from his shirt and Haley was trembling as she secured the cloth around the worst part of the wound. It had taken Peyton almost an hour and a half to finally succumb to the affects of blood loss. However, since Emma had cut almost directly into the vein, there was no question that Melissa would have ten minutes maximum before passing out and possibly going into shock.

"Jimmy, they really need help. They'll both die." Haley was pleading with him, her eyes big and scared. She moved to stand by Nathan, leaving her two other companions to try and stop the still continuous flow of blood from the unconscious Peyton. Jimmy cast a glance at Emma, looking very unsure of what was going on.

"Emma, maybe we should let those two go…"

"No! None of them leave." Emma had another unnerving mood swing as she twisted her gun around to point at Jimmy…her supposed partner in their scheme. There was silence in the room until a door creaked open somewhere in the corridor. The deranged girl smirked and continued, "Time for bloodshed."

She slipped into the hallway, closely followed by a startled, but jittery Jimmy Edwards. The silent boy was left to guard them, pulling the gun from his inner pocket. Joseph surveyed each of them with a blank expression. There was muffled shouting, the voice reverberating so much until nothing was discernible.

Finally, the dreaded noise that had haunted each mind within those four walls. It was almost like a car backfiring, except there was no mistaking it. A gunshot. A more urgent silence. A panicked and pained protest accompanied by a harsh yell. There was another moment of stillness. Then a laugh. It was cold and amused with the ability to chill blood in veins and cause the cardiac muscle to work overtime with fear. Footsteps approached the room, echoing.

"Game's over." Emma nodded to Joseph. "Well, if I have any luck, both of you will be dead. I'll see you in hell." Her voice was odd once again, her eyes glowing with pure hatred and malice. The gun hung loosely in one hand at her side. They were all confused for the briefest of moments. Of course, that bewilderment was discarded the moment the gun rose once more and fired.

There was screaming as blood spattered the desk. Joseph slumped to the ground, his life's blood covering the area around him and the teacher's table. Emma grinned maniacally as she turned her back on them. Each student watched in horror as she raised the gun to her mouth and jerked on the trigger.

When the police finally entered the school, they found a scene that none would soon forget. Gray matter and blood painted a grotesque picture on the walls and ceiling. They found a raven-haired guy holding a sobbing blonde. The redhead clutched the seemingly lifeless body of a brunette of the same age, blood pooling on the tile around her arm. A black teenager held a second blonde girl in his arms. And in the back resided the four remaining occupants. A mousy-haired kid, a Latino boy, another blonde and the ashen form of one of their peers with a nasty wound in her leg.


	7. Perpetual Motion, the Image Won’t Focus

AN: Thank you to my reviews and even to the anonymous readers who leave nothing whatsoever, the number of hits is always refreshing. So you know, this is the final chapter. And then ---

I shall create a sequel, so don't freak about the loose ends I leave. I'll need something to work with, right? In the meantime, between the two I will write a Peyton/Rachel fic because I don't think there are enough of those either. Oh, and just to keep you thinking about it, I'll give you the first chapter title of the sequel. Famous Last Words by My Chemical Romance. So, just mull over that. Enjoy!

X x X x

Chapter Seven: Perpetual Motion, the Image Won't Focus

From "Ready to Fall" by Rise Against

X x X x

Each moment seemed longer than the last. She couldn't stop shaking. The cops had had to pull her away from her self-appointed charge as she had clung to her for dear life. Nathan had been rocking Haley gently, reducing the screams and sobbing. Skills had been trying to take care of Bevin, who had seemed to be in an odd state of shock. After Emma killed Jimmy and Joseph, she committed suicide with the obvious intention of leaving her mark. She accomplished that. Brain matter and bits of skull had littered the room. The ceiling and two walls had been spattered with small fragments of flesh and large quantities of blood.

Once they were all out of the building Peyton and Melissa had been rushed to the hospital. Neither had a great initial report on their status. Peyton had lost a lot of blood and needed an immediate transfusion the moment she was reached the emergency room. They had to do surgery to remove the bullet from her leg and then stitch her up. After a few tentative hours in which Brooke had paced restlessly in the waiting room, they announced that she would be fine.

Melissa had managed to lose just as much blood in the nerve-wracking fifteen minutes as Peyton had in almost two hours. She stared into the mirror, tremors still wreaking havoc on her body. Her hazel eyes gazed back at her with her mind rushing around in a jumble. She had stumbled into a small restroom in the hospital to clean herself up. So far she had managed to wash her hands six times, but she could still feel the blood on her palms. The skin had been rubbed raw and tender, but she didn't care. It wasn't fazing her at the moment.

She just needed a little while to think to herself. Actually, maybe that was a bad idea, but there was no one that she knew of that she could turn to for comfort. Her parents were being their usual absentee selves. They had settled in the Scottish Highlands for a couple of months. Then they would return home to repack and venture off into the world again, leaving her to fend for herself.

Finally she just sank to the floor, crying to herself with her head tucked into her knees, hugging herself tightly. She kept thinking that if she just had kept a tighter hold on Melissa, maybe she wouldn't have been able to get up and Emma wouldn't have had the chance to hurt her. That was all she had to do, and she managed to royally screw that up. Now Melissa was lying in a hospital bed with stitches all up her arm. She was still getting blood transfusions to make up for all she had lost. Both she and Peyton had Morphine drips and various other medications.

"Rachel?"

She choked on her voice and decided to just stay where she was. How could she have let this happen? Sure, she didn't blame herself for the school shooting because that would have just been delusional. But she blamed herself for Melissa's injury. That guilt was more than enough for her. There were soft footsteps approaching. Once they halted, she felt a supportive and comforting presence at her side. The guilt-stricken teenager found a pair of arms wrap around her, one slipping under her arm to help her up. She was so drained, physically, mentally and emotionally from the entire thing. The fair-skinned brunette next to her held a quiet, if not slightly weary strength about her. They were silent the whole way back to the waiting room.

Brooke had rushed to her car, immediately following the ambulances as they carried her best friend to the hospital. The other witnesses had been taken aside so the officers could speak to them about what had happened. Haley hadn't been able to manage more than a few words, Nathan still clutching her to his chest in a defensive manner. It was as if he was trying to protect her from everything around them. He had shed his own tears with his wife, though his were of the silent variety. They served so many purposes. Keith, Nathan and Lucas' uncle, was dead. Emma, in her insane rampage, had added a third to her casualty list and finished it off with herself.

That look on her face was burned into their memories. Rachel could see that look of cruel satisfaction after she had attacked Melissa. Even though the flesh on her hands was sore and bright pink, she could have sworn that she hadn't washed all of that blood off. It still seemed slick between her fingers. It had made it incredibly difficult to try and keep and tight hold of Melissa's body when the police tried to pull them apart. In fact, she vaguely remembered leaving a streak of blood down her arm and then dying her hand a dark maroon when they finally managed to separate them.

Skills was sitting with Kenzie and Bevin, staring blankly at the wall as his girlfriend leaned against his chest. She had fallen asleep. It was no wonder. Rachel was exhausted and suddenly realized the toll it was taking on her body. Brooke led her over to a pair of seats and they remained there, not saying a word. At some point their hands had connected and refused to lose contact for even a millisecond. Hours seemed to pass and a thick tension settled over the room. The doctors weren't allowing anyone but family into the rooms to visit. Unfortunately, no one knew if Melissa had any close kin to visit her and Peyton's father was still fighting to make it there from out of town.

And then Rachel inhaled sharply, her eyes fixed on something ahead of her. Those hazel eyes were wide and surprised. Brooke followed her gaze to a small child. She seemed nervous and frightened, even with some woman holding her hand. In fact, the little girl was in tears. Her big eyes shone with tears and her face was puffy with red splotches. The woman next to her looked as though she was interested in anything and anyone except the girl she held by the hand. When the kid jerked her hand away and scurried to a corner of the waiting room, the woman just rolled her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently as she listened to the nurse talking quietly. Why had this random visitor caught Rachel's attention?

Without warning, Rachel stood, bringing a curious Brooke with her. The head cheerleader suddenly found her teammate crouching to speak to the little girl. So, she took the opportunity to get a good look. Her eyes were just like Rachel's and her hair was silky and dark. The girl sat back closer to the wall, looking oddly suspicious and tense for such a young age.

"Halia?" The girl turned her attention immediately to Rachel, who forced a gentle smile onto her face. "Hey, pretty girl. My name's Rachel. I know Melissa."

The child, Halia, blinked but remained steadfast in her silence. Her eyes would occasionally flicker back to Brooke before returning to Rachel's face. Brooke was utterly clueless. She had no idea who the kid was or why Rachel was interested in her or Halia's connection to Melissa.

"Are you here to see her?" A nod. "How about that lady, is that your mommy?" A frown and vigorous shaking of her head. "Then who is she, Hal?" The eyes contemplated Rachel for a moment. She seemed to be more comfortable since Rachel had used a little nickname.

"Idylla." It was the first time she had spoken. Halia didn't seem happy about this at all, especially about Idylla. "Not my mommy. Mommy's hurt."

Brooke's lips parted slightly and even Rachel looked stunned. Neither had been expecting that answer. They traded a glance before turning their full attention to Halia. There was more little mystery to get out of the way. Who the hell was Idylla and what did she want with Melissa? An angry voice suddenly seemed to answer them from the direction of Melissa's room.

Halia's eyes widened and she scrambled to her feet at the sound of her mother's voice, vanishing into the room moments later. That caused another uproar. A nurse quickly entered, looking more than angry. Brooke and Rachel followed Halia's path and came upon an odd scene. Idylla's dark brown eyes were glaring with a look of mocking at Melissa. The injured was shouting something rapidly in a language not quite English. Actually, it wasn't English at all. Halia hurried to Melissa's side, using both tiny hands to grasp her mother's. The young woman calmed herself down, her tone lowering. She didn't even seem aware of Rachel and Brooke.

Idylla sneered and uttered a couple of unintelligible words, casting a nasty look at Halia, who turned white. With that, she stormed out of the room, pushing Rachel into the wall. For the first time, her mind seemed to register the existence of her two classmates. Her face turned paler and she murmured something to her daughter, smiling as best she could. The child grinned and happily skipped out past the pair. Unease filled the confines of the four walls before she finally spoke.

"What'd she say?" Her tone was weary and strained.

"Halia says that you're her mother." Rachel said slowly, confused and awaiting an explanation. "Why wouldn't you tell anyone about her?"

"Because she isn't my daughter." Melissa smiled sadly, looking at the ceiling. She seemed so tired. "But, she is my sister. She's in foster care at the moment, or at least she was until she had the nerve to go find her. I'm stunned that anyone knew how to contact her." She paused for a moment, glancing over to give Rachel and Brooke time to absorb the information.

"She wouldn't really know I was her sister since she was too young. I got emancipated from my parents when I was fifteen. Two years before that, they had Halia. Didn't treat her any better than they did me. Never made sense that they wanted her if they weren't going to care for her. I made a rather convincing case to social services and they took Halia away from my parents. I've been trying to keep track of her and running away from them ever since. Sometimes they find foster families that want me to be active in her life. I was there for her first few steps, the first time she ran. Everything. Most of the families thought I was a great sister. For some reason or other, Halia started calling me mama and that was that.

And then, a few months after that, she just showed up. At that point I was in Los Angeles. I had friends to be my surrogate family and I knew that Halia was doing well in a nice place. They were good to her. One day Idylla comes bursting into my apartment, screaming insults and demanding to know where her daughter was. First I stood my ground, and then I started getting scared by the things she was saying and called the police on my cell phone behind back. Thank god for speed dial. They came and took her away.

I packed up and moved again. Ended up in Pinedale, Wyoming. Settled for about three months, then my father starts invading my life. After the third place, Chicago, I ended up in Boston. I knew that Halia had ended up with a family that moved there, so it seemed logical. I lived there for about a year and just over six months. It was just before my birthday, I had a steady and happy relationship and then my parents manage to break into my house and scream at both of us about sinning and burning in hell. When I officially turned eighteen, I managed to grab custody of Halia. They were more than happy about turning her over, though sad to see her go. Now I'm here and so is Idylla." There was one thing in particular about something she mentioned that caught Brooke's attention for a brief moment.

"What about the relationship?" The brunette asked slowly.

"I broke it off. Then decided it'd be best if I turned Halia to the orphanage. They'd take better care of her than I ever would. Just told her that'd she'd live with some nice people until I could come get her. So, now I just visit her." Melissa's gaze turned to the door once more. She seemed to be keeping an eye on whatever Halia was doing.

"Now, are you going to tell me where Peyton is?" Rachel bit her lip, glancing sideways at Brooke. Melissa looked annoyed. "That hell bitch better not have shot her again, I swear if she did-"

"No, no." Brooke intervened hurriedly. "Peyton's…two doors down from here. Doctor doesn't want her on her leg immediately. They already hooked her up with a cast and crutches, though. She's knocked out on morphine right now. But…"

"Are you dating?" Rachel had more than her fair share of suspicions, but she somehow knew that she wasn't the only one. Brooke wasn't an idiot, nor was she blind to the way they acted together. And yet, she knew she wasn't asking this for Brooke's sake. No, it had a double purpose. Her dark haired companion took the chance to insert her own words, "I mean, it's cool if you are. Just please tell the truth, please?"

"Peyton wanted…"

"So you are." Rachel saw a flicker in Brooke's eyes, a myriad of rampaging emotions. Obviously it wasn't something that Brooke was particularly pleased about. In fact, from that one millisecond of her shield lowering had revealed a bit jealousy. She used that minute to back from the room, smiling slightly at the girl on the bed. Rachel could see Halia timidly listening to Skills and Bevin, both of whom seemed more than happy to keep her occupied. The pair had attracted the attention of the rest of the group. Haley had a small smile on her face, as did her husband. Kenzie laughed at something that was said.

Rachel remained behind, wanting to give comfort to the confused and more than a little anxious teenager. She knew that Brooke had headed off to sit by Peyton's bed once more. The young woman had been there for hours, just watching over her. When her attention shifted back to Melissa, her heart stopped for a few seconds. Melissa had been absently tearing at the bandages and stitches in her arm. As a result, part of the wound seemed to have opened up again, because her blood was dripping through the white cloth, sending slow droplets to the floor.

"Can we get a nurse in here?" Rachel called into the hallway, hurrying over her side. Melissa had an expression of mild surprise on her face as she lifted the arm into the air, not really having any other reaction to her bleeding. She did not look like a happy girl, in any case. Not that she should, after what had just happened. But, she did give Rachel a grateful smile.

X x X x

"You're sure you can manage?"

Her ever-doting girlfriend kept a hand on her shoulder blade. Peyton gave her a brilliant smile, amused at how worried she was. It had been almost nine days since they had both checked out of the hospital. Larry Sawyer, her father, had taken time to come home and make sure that his baby girl would be safe before he left again. It was about three days after they left the care of nurses and doctors that they had told him about their relationship. Peyton remembered her partner's increasingly pale face and the way she stood stiffly.

Her cruel, wonderful father had intimidated her for no other purpose other than to have a bit of fun. He had stood there for a full minute, looking Melissa up and down in a threatening manner the entire time. At that point, Mel had actually been shaking a little bit, trying to hold down her panic. It was at that point that he broke into a grin and held out his hand for her to shake. Peyton had given her father a stern look, but couldn't help but smile.

"Yes, Melissa. I'm doing fine, you don't have to be my bodyguard." Peyton's eyes sparkled. It was the afternoon; the sky was illuminated to an astounding shade of blue by the bright sun. Melissa pretty much refused to let Peyton out of her sight.

"Ah, you have superpowers, Bubbles. I wouldn't dream of being your guard." Her tone was innocent enough. They had ventured to a secluded little spot in a small park that people rarely came to because it was so far out of the way. But, it was quite beautiful with its flowers and tiny pond home to many a fish and frog. Melissa cast a quick look around before slipping her arms around Peyton's waist and settling her chin on her shoulder. She placed a light kiss on her neck, sighing contentedly.

"Now, Larry expects you back by seven. He told me that specifically under penalty of a very severe verbal beating on my part. Your dad can be scary." Melissa murmured in her ear, trailing a number of smaller, brief kisses up her neck, the side of her jaw and behind her ear. Peyton made a soft noise in her throat, her heart thudding inside her chest. "There are other ways to keep you occupied, if you aren't too tired."

"Melissa…" Peyton's voice was somewhere between a moan and a whimper. Her partner laughed, her breath against her ear. In her current condition, they really couldn't do much in the category of physical activity. Peyton had never been as loose with sex as Brooke was, she just couldn't do that.

She knew that Melissa absolutely adored her and why she never pressured her into it, but she couldn't figure out why she wasn't quite ready. They'd been dating for a good length of time and Peyton loved Melissa… didn't she? She certainly had extremely intense feelings where she was concerned, but there was always that voice in her head that reminded her of someone else whenever she started to get comfortable.

Brooke.

No matter how much she tried to leave that particular emotional attachment behind to get closer to Melissa, she just couldn't. Melissa was amazing. She deserved so much better than Peyton, though she had once said that there wasn't anyone fitting those qualifications. Out of the several billion people on the planet, she knew that she needed only one. More than that –

It wasn't Melissa.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" The voice was soft and concerned. Peyton blinked rapidly, trying to suppress the overwhelming flood of emotion. It was painful, but she knew that she needed to talk to Brooke. The blonde forced a smile onto her face, observing her girlfriend's face for a moment.

"Could you take me home? Please? I just need to get some sleep."

Melissa nodded, though looked unconvinced that her excuse was the sole reason for her sudden state of discontent. There was just so much that she needed to say and not enough words in the world to say it. Of course, being the wonderful person she was, Melissa stayed until Peyton was settled into her room.

"I'll see you tomorrow," She murmured, brushing her lips across her forehead. The brunette waited a moment longer before taking her leave. Peyton rolled over on her bed and listened for the front door to close. It did a few seconds later. Her heart flooded with guilt, her hand reaching to pull her cell phone over to her. A short phone call later and some couple of minutes, the door opened again.

Brooke Davis tentatively sat at the edge of her best friend's bed, neatly pressing the discarded crutches against the wall. Peyton smiled with slight hesitance before sitting up. This could either be the biggest mistake she could make or the best conversation she could have. Peyton had almost died, and she had been thinking more of her memories of Brooke than the moments shared with Melissa. In that classroom, she had regretted never telling Brooke how she felt. She had thought that she might never get the chance. Her own mortality had become painfully real.

"Brooke, we need to talk…" She began, trying to stay light and pleasant. Her closest friend smiled quizzically, head cocking to one side. God, the way the sunlight hit her face through those few free tendrils – ah, she had to keep her mind on the task at hand.

"What's up, P. Sawyer? You know you can tell me anything." She was worried. Brooke didn't like it when conversations started off that. Usually it didn't end well for her heart as it was left in shambles that she was forced to gather up and piece back together in a long, hard process.

"Do you like Melissa?"

What an odd way to start talking… "Yes, I like her. She's good to you and she, so far, hasn't tried to take over my life." Yeah, all she took from me was you. Nice Davis.

"Yeah, I like her too." Her tone was absent, as though it was an offhanded remark she had just made. "I love her, actually." Where was she going with this? The last thing Brooke wanted to hear was Peyton talking about her relationship with Melissa. The green-eyed monster had set up residence in her heart as of late. She couldn't stand watching the pair together.

"At least I thought I did, anyway." Wait, what? "Melissa is incredible, don't get me wrong. She's so amazing and she's sweet to me. She never pressures me to do anything. Hell, she even risked her life to save me. She almost died in the school… But do you know who I was thinking of Brooke?"

"No..." Her heart had sped up tenfold, her stomach clenching on the butterflies that had made their presence known inside. She couldn't possibly be going to say what she thought she was, could she? Brooke felt that little bit of hope swell up, her mind going completely blank.

"First, in the library, I kept thinking about my first dates with Melissa. I told her I wanted to keep it a secret and she never complained. Not even once. She's unbelievably patient with whatever I ask. But, I didn't think about her for long. My biggest fear was not seeing you again, Brooke. You're my best friend."

Her heart shrank again slightly. Was that all she was to Peyton? Her oldest and best friend from her trying childhood? Was that it? Maybe they were just destined to be friends and nothing more. Brooke couldn't live like that again. She pushed a small smile onto her lips, showing Peyton that she was hearing her.

"Brooke – I don't want to just be friends anymore." After all that preparation she had just done to get her heart ready to be hurt, those words caught her off-guard. "I'm tired of pretending. I love you Brooke. I've loved you forever. You were always there for me and we can talk about everything. So," She took a deep hopeful breath, her eyes frantically searching for an answer.

It was just that Brooke wasn't positive that a verbal response would suffice in the given situation. So, she opted for that of the non-verbal variety. She knew exactly what to do. Smiling and literally feeling herself glow with happiness, she leaned in and kissed her Goldilocks on the lips. At that moment, Brooke didn't give a damn that there was another heart, apart from hers and Peyton's, going to be affected. All she cared about was finally having her Peyton.

"Brooke," Her voice was breathy, though unmistakably relieved. It took her another minute to regain her composure. "Brooke, this is real, right? It's not just about…" She didn't finish the sentence, but Brooke didn't need her to. She wanted to know if she was going to be just another notch in the bedpost and if the whole thing was just about lust and jealousy than actual love.

"P. Sawyer, of course." She was puzzled, trying to figure out what was going on in her mind.

"Good, because I need to figure out –"

"How to break it off with Melissa." Brooke finished. For the first time she started to consider where Melissa stood in the matter. She and Peyton were currently dating on a very steady level. As far as Brooke knew, they had had no problems except for keeping their relationship a secret.

It was a difficult question. Peyton felt incredible when she was with her current girlfriend – but she just wasn't Brooke. At that moment, it wasn't like Peyton could possibly be aware of Melissa's little shopping trip with Rachel for a gift. Jewelry. At that very second, while Peyton and Brooke tried to figure out an end to the relationship, Melissa was only concerned with keeping it going forward and making her broody blonde happy.

And when Brooke would sneak out in the early morning hours of the following day, Melissa would be none the wiser as she entered the front door only ten minutes after her departure. Peyton would, once more, experience the déjà vu of being in a similar, if not exactly identical, situation about a year earlier with Brooke and Lucas. Of course, at that point in her life, she hadn't really known or accepted that she was bisexual leaning more towards women than men.

In the end, after being presented with a beautiful necklace consisting of a small clutch of miniature emeralds that hung just below the clavicle, she couldn't bring herself to break a heart that seemed to cherish her more than anything else. Their clandestine affair continued on whenever no one could see them. Most of the time it would be in the late hours of night and waking moments of sunrise. They made sure that no one else knew of their relationship.

One particular night, a few weeks following the shooting and the beginning of a long awaited connection, Peyton and Brooke sat in the living room with the curtains drawn so they could watch a movie. In fact, it was a slasher flick. Brooke wasn't very good with blood and gore. Not so much gore as there was blood.

"I've gotta say that October's pretty hot." Peyton grinned, nudging her still unofficial girlfriend in the ribs. Brooke squirmed at the sight of that familiar crimson liquid spreading across the scene. She found her squemish-ness more than a little adorable. In fact, everything she did seemed cute. Very few things about Brooke were unattractive.

"I bet you she dies though." The brunette cringed and snuggled closer to Peyton again closing one eye. "Who names their kid October Bantum, anyway?" She received a slight laugh and shrug in response.

"The same kind of people that name their son Felix." Brooke eyed the blonde suspiciously for a moment before returning to her cringing. Peyton couldn't have been happier and more guilt-ridden at the same time. Her actual girlfriend was in the dark about her supposedly faithful partner's dates with Brooke. No one knew. Peyton knew that it wasn't at all fair to treat a girl that loved her like dirt, but she couldn't make herself break up with her either. "Come on Brooke, she looks just like you. You know that Sophia Bush is sexy."

Brooke rolled her eyes, grinning to herself. Yes, okay, so Peyton was right. October was simply a black-haired Brooke with a punkass attitude and an aptitude for video games. The real Brooke had only ever played Mario on an old Gameboy back in the day and then got good at car racing games at the arcade those few times they went there. Peyton was about as talented, if not less, than Brooke at games like that. Sometimes they might go try and beat Nathan at some game, but they usually failed miserably. They even lost against Haley.

As Brooke had predicted, the lovely and feisty October Bantum died later in the movie. She was hung by the ankles upside down with the Blood Countess before her. Her throat was slit and out spilled forth her life. She hadn't gone down without her own verbal punches and she had never lost her spirit. There was something about her that Peyton found herself admiring.

Sincerity.

Every word from her mouth was sincere. Even within the sarcasm, the anger or the spite, each syllable was completely truthful. When she interacted and rolled her eyes with her younger brother, nothing she did was half-hearted. Not many people were like that. Usually things were said with just annoyed sarcasm or irritable words to brush people off or even the forced smile to convince everyone else that you were okay and nothing was wrong.

With 6,525,170,264 people in the world, it was very seldom that you found the one you need on the first try. Sometimes people got lucky. What about those that managed to find the one they would want for the rest of their lives? And what if they had been too afraid to go after them? What if they built a relationship with another – one who believed it was the real thing? It would truly be the funeral of hearts when the webs unraveled at their feet.

Now, how about the one that believed in you no matter what the obvious signs said to contradict it? That misled love and the heart that so firmly attached itself to another – would it always end badly? Peyton cringed away from her thoughts mentally, turning her attention back to Brooke. The brunette was curled comfortably against her, one hand lightly tracing down her collarbone. Peyton smiled and leaned down to kiss her.

How amazing it was to think of the simple actions that could destroy something as fragile as a heart. Peyton knew that Brooke now understood how she had felt when she had been involved with Lucas. She had said not to worry. She had said that they could explain themselves when the time came; that it wouldn't be too difficult. Of course, betrayal always seems easy until it's discovered.

And discovery is inevitable.


End file.
